Integrity Trust and Bravery: Villainous Intent
by Keftense
Summary: After the Canals Incident, Nick and Judy got married and welcomed new faces into the ZPD from that night. However all is not so peaceful as an assassination attempt has left them realizing...they may have angered someone in the past. Who is it and who is this cult of mysterious mammals hunting them. The Shadow Cult...is dedicated to murder for hire and they are good...very good.
1. Chapter 1

**Integrity, Trust, and Bravery**

 **Villainous Intent**

 **Chapter 1**

The Good Life

"Coffee's on, Carrots. Better get it while it's hot!"

The smell of coffee and the sound of Nick's voice roused Judy from her slumber. Today was their last day of vacation after a long case involving some jewelry thieves who had plagued the heart of Zootopia for weeks. They had managed to catch them in the act. Judy and Nick had expertly predicted their next target and set up waiting for them.

She sat up in bed rubbing her eyes and feeling the warm sun on her fur through the window of their cabin on the edge of Bunnyburrow. Nick walked in wearing a set of green silk night clothes she had bought him a while back. He had her breakfast and a hot cup of coffee on a platter and set it on the bedside next to her.

Nick leaned in and gave her a kiss,smiling at her. "Today is the last day, so we need to go see the family before we leave. Mom and Dad would never forgive us if we didn't stop in and say bye."

Judy smiled back as she grabbed the coffee. "We need to let our tenets know we are leaving tomorrow as well."

He gave her his smirk as he started to leave the room. "Already on my way to do that, Fluff."

She watched him go. Two years after he nearly died in the warehouse had seen him nearly fully recovered. His legs wobbled slightly as he walked showing some of the damaged nerves but he hid it well enough to be fully restored to active duty. Judy knew that in the cold, his bones ached, and his limbs still plagued him with occasional numbness but otherwise he was fully healed. She still liked to massage his legs and feet in the shower, hoping the wobble would eventually disappear.

A year after that terrible night, on the anniversary of the day, they had both sat upon a rolling hill in the heat of the day. It was here that he proposed to her. Judy smiled as she remembered the day. On that hill, overlooking the fields, sun setting, kids playing, he slowly got down on one knee saying, "Oh I just need a moment to rest my legs." She had been busy watching her siblings play and had become confused when she realized they were all watching her. When she returned her gaze to Nick, he was holding up a small ring, his casual smirk wide on his face, left ear slightly twitching, revealing his nerves. Those green eyes locked with hers, fur glowing in the sun and ruffled by the breeze. "What do you say Carrots? Care to make me the happiest fox in the world?"

Her brain said 'no, it'll never work' but her heart and mouth agreed on the answer and what came out was several 'yeses' which she actually squealed with joy, tackling the fox in her excitement, forgetting even his remaining injuries. They almost lost the ring too... The kids all cheered and Vira took off to find her adoptive parents to tell them the good news. There they stayed upon the hill in silence until the stars came out to greet them, never needing to say a word, so happy were they just to be together. Eventually they had decided upon returning to the house, Judy with the ring upon her paw. The family had prepared a massive meal in celebration for the newly engaged couple and later lectured her on the relationship she chose to peruse.

The doe ended their doubts by saying, "We've always had each other's backs, no matter what happened. Now we'll do that forever."

Focusing on the present again, Judy swung her legs out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her limbs, paw lingering on the scar on the left side of her hip. Two years ago, the bullet fired from Delgato had ridden her thigh bone into her hip and caused massive blood loss that was hard to detect. She had almost died that night, and it would have been Nick who lived alone. She shuddered uncomfortably from the dark thoughts and turned to her breakfast.

Nick had brought her quite the meal. A freshly picked potato had been mashed with roasted garlic, thyme and rosemary and formed into a pancake along with a side of sliced honey glazed carrots from the farm. Despite everything, Nick had become quite the cook and she found herself often wondering what kind of meal he could dream up next. She sipped her coffee puzzling over what she ever did to deserve such a kind partner...friend...husband. She ate slowly, savoring every bite.

Nick leisurely strolled outside and inhaled the morning air. No matter how many summers he spent here, he always enjoyed it as much as he had done the first time. He had the cabin built using cedar, it naturally keeping termites away. The single story cabin was small yet spacious with a fireplace centered to warm the entire place when they came for winter holidays and cold nights. It was a home that he had managed to keep secret from Judy all while it was being built. She had seen it on a few occasions as they drove by admiring it as it was being constructed, never knowing it was theirs.

He started to walk towards the other building that graced the land and continued to reminisce of the day he told her the cabin was theirs. They had pulled into the driveway all while Judy expressed concerns about being on someone's property and that they were trespassing. Nick had told her that they were just going to take a tour of the area. He snickered to himself as he continued down the winding path through the pines as he remembered the look on her face when he told her he was going to pick the lock. He had started to fish around in his pocket and stopped and told her that perhaps she should pick it as he pulled out the key to the door. She had stood there staring at it with a dumbfounded look on her face for a few moments before it began to dawn on her. She kept saying 'no way', over and over again as they key slid into place and turned smoothly allowing the door to open.

Nick reached the other cabin and knocked on the pine door, still smiling at his memories. A few moments passed before a Sailfin answered. "Good morning Kess! Just wanted to remind you that today is our last day here. Keep an eye on the place for us while we're gone, okay?"

She smiled at him widely. "Sure thing." As he smiled and turned to leave she pressed on. "Hey Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you let us stay here for free? Seriously?"

Nick looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "Well first I think your husband is a fairly cool guy and he works too hard for what he gets. Second it's not free, you watch ours while we are gone. That's not a free ride...last I checked it's called a hustle, sweetheart."

She only laughed at him. "Thanks again Nick. Rest assured, we will keep the place running for you."

He nodded and started his walk back to the cabin, crisp air cooling his pads as they hissed softly across the cobbled stone path. The pines whispered in the breeze sending their scent across his snout which mingled with the smell of his morning cooking. The cabin hadn't been all that expensive to build. The real cost was the land and he was down to a _meager_ 1.1 million out of the 1.4 million he had gained throughout his life. It was close to the Hopps Family Farm, but he made sure to buy as much land as he could. Nearly four square miles of land that he and Judy could walk with pleasure. The land had a stream and even a small waterfall that they frequented during the summer months. Kess made a logical choice for the spare cabin that had been built for the build crew, since the water brought her and her husband such joy.

He stood at the door to his cabin, _their_ cabin, for a moment before inhaling and stepping inside the cozy home he had made for himself and wife and busied himself for their departure.

On the first day they had been married, Nick had been concerned about how he should enter his new parent's house, if he should knock or walk right in. Turns out in the year he had never once had to open the door himself. The kids would always get there first and have it open and waiting. This time was no different, and Vira stood at the door waiting. She now was taller than Nick at 10 years old, and had adapted well to farm life. No one seemed to mind a reptile living with bunnies and she loved her new family. She had since grown out of tackling him every time he showed up, Nick was grateful for that. She still hugged him tightly every time and she always, since day one, greeted him as "Brother Fox" and that had rubbed off on all the other kids as well, even ones not related to the Hoppses. He enjoyed the name greatly and it always made him smile.

After the hug, he stepped into the cozy house, Judy getting her own hug at the door and shouting, "Mom, Dad! We're home!"

Stu came around the corner, smiling as he always did. "Hey there kids! Nice to see ya! Getting ready to head back to the big city?"

Nick let himself down on the sofa as Judy joined him and snuggled close. "Yup, we came to say goodbye and maybe snag dinner on the way out!" he finished with a wink.

Stu's ears fell back as he spoke. "Well Bon is feeling a bit under the weather right now so you may have to deal with leftovers."

Judy's ears shot up along with the rest of her body nearly knocking Nick's chin. "Whats wrong? Is she okay?"

Her father nodded. "Oh yes, just a little worn out from the work, and she probably caught a bug out in the fields. She'll be 'round in no time. We bunnies bounce back fast."

Nick rubbed Judy's back, feeling her relax a bit under his caress. "Yeah you certainly do. I hope she feels well soon. We will call when we get back to the city. Won't trouble you for any food, she sounds like she needs a nice hearty meal."

Easy conversation ate up the time and they decided it would be best to let Bonnie get her sleep and quietly departed with Stu hugging them both tightly as they were leaving.

"Okay now, call me when you get back home. Don't forget!"

Nick climbed into his car with Judy in the passenger seat. "We'll remember, Dad."

Stu walked over to the driver side as Nick rolled down the window and closed the door. He put his elbow out and looked at Stu, who seemed nervous. "I don't know, Nick, I just got this feeling, like my fur itches or something. You be careful okay? Lots in the news about you two lately...all the enemies you made two years ago..."

Nick gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry pops, we made a lot of friends too."

With that he put the car in drive and started on their way home.

* * *

The car ride was mostly silent with Judy staring aimlessly out the window as they approached Sahara Square. Nick noticed how distracted she seemed. "Hey, Carrots, whats wrong?"

She sighed and took her attention from the window. "It's what dad was saying. What did we miss in the month we were away, Nick? What's on the news?"

Nick shrugged. "Dunno, but it always gets like this around the anniversary of that night. Remember last year? I'm sure the Chief will have something to say on it."

Nick glanced over at her. She was quite downcast and it really seemed to be bothering her. "Hey, maybe your favorite jams will help ya out. Why don't you put them on? We can sing along!"

She giggled. "Oh please! _You_ howl more like."

Nick laughed and leaned on the door with his elbow out the window again as Judy bent down to grab her music player. In that moment, the car windshield shattered and a pair of sharp whistles could be heard. Something had hit their windshield. Judy snapped up feeling something wet on her fur and saw two very small holes in the windshield. One where her head had been just a moment ago and one in front of Nick. As she shifted her gaze to her husband, he had the wheel gripped in both paws tightly and the engine revved as he floored the accelerator.

His eyes were wide and locked on the road. "Judy! Are you hurt?"

She quickly checked herself and found blood on the left side of her face, but no injury and no pain. When she looked back at Nick, he had been the one injured. Her eyes widened in horror as blood seeped from a gash in his neck, marring his russet fur.

She tried not to lose it as she spoke. "I'm fine, but you're not!"

He kept checking the mirrors as he sped along the highway. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Stings though."

Judy leaned over to inspect his wound and found that he was right. It didn't look all that deep but had left a furrow across the right side of his neck. "It doesn't look too bad Nick. What the heck happened?"

Nick was starting to sound frustrated. "I think someone took a shot at us. There's a black car following us. Damn it! We're not even in the Sahara District yet. I hate being on the edge of town!"

Judy pulled out her phone. "I'll call Bogo, he'll send help."

Nick nodded as he sped along. "Yeah, bring the lights. In the glove compartment there is a handgun. I keep it just in case. They're gaining on us and if they get along side, try to take out a tire."

Judy dialed and with one paw with the phone, the other found the handgun and gripped it tightly as Nick adjusted her side mirror so she could see behind them. The phone rang twice before his gravelly voice came on the line. "Officer Hopps, you can't have another week off."

She didn't give him a chance to continue, nearly shouting at him. "We have a problem! On highway 5 heading towards the Sahara District. We have been shot at by unknown suspects, Nick was hit and we are exceeding 100 miles per hour. We need assistance!"

She heard Bogo yell on the other end. "Clawhauser! Get four units and one swat on highway five heading east NOW. Officers in danger!" His voice redirected back to her. "Help is on the way Hopps, how's Wilde?"

"Superficial wound, but the suspects are gaining on us. We will likely have to return fire. Send Emergency Medical Animals as well. Someone is going to need it."

There was a pause before the Chief continued. "Understood, Hopps. Leave the phone line open and somewhere safe and keep talking. I need to hear everything to better direct your support. Focus your attention on the suspects."

"Roger, Chief setting the phone down now."

She placed the phone down and looked to Nick. His blood was already drying, leaving his fur matted. Her heart filled with worry, but that look in his eye as they kept shifting from the road to the mirrors told her that he was _physically_ fine, but his mind was razor focused. She checked the side mirror and saw the black car coming alongside of them. The driver of the car had rolled down the window and a head popped out. It was a ram with the look of murder on his face. Judy quickly checked the pistol for a round in the chamber and prepared herself. The last time she had taken a life it had been a fellow officer, and she didn't relish the idea of taking another. However, she had a stronger desire to live.

"Here he comes Nick, get low."

The fox slouched in the seat as far as he could and still see out the shattered windshield as the black car was almost in line with them. The ram took out a pistol and seemed to be scanning for the driver. Judy saw her chance and popped up to fire, but his gun shifted to her in an instant and shot four times,shattering her window as bullets buzzed by her ears, slicing through the already damaged windshield. Judy thought he was too quick and she needed a new position.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and started to crawl to the back seat. Nick didn't question her as she moved. He sat a bit taller in his seat presenting a tempting target. It worked and the ram adjusted again for the driver. Judy made sure he would pay for the mistake and shot through the rear passenger window five rounds. Three hit the rear door on the driver's side, one missed completely, another struck a tire, flattening it/ Yhe final round went into the driver's side door. It must have gone through because the ram flinched and brought his head back inside the vehicle.

The car started to swerve and tapped the side of their own causing Nick to skid a bit before taking control of the car. The black suspect vehicle spun off the road and rolled four times as Judy watched from her shattered window. She saw an animal get ejected and land hard on the ground next to the road until the car finally came to rest right next to the wounded animal. Nick slowed to a stop before looking back and throwing the car in reverse to head for the overturned vehicle.

A short distance away he parked the car and turned to Judy. "My old rifle is under the back seat. Can you get it out?"

She shook her head as she found the case, "Jeez Nick, how many guns do you have in this car?"

"Just these two, and it's a story for another time, Fluff."

She handed Nick the rifle and he nodded to her. With unspoken language, they stepped out and swept the area leading up to the car, moving in a low crouched position. The animal that had been ejected looked small like Judy's size and wore combat clothing of all black. He was moving and it looked like he was putting something in his mouth. Judy checked the ram hanging upside down in the car as blood ran up its face from some unseen wound in his back. She checked him for a pulse and found none. She looked back at Nick who had rolled the living suspect over.

Red fur, white highlights, short muzzle - it was a weasel and he looked very dazed. Nick gripped the weasel's shirt as he spoke. "Who are you? Why did you try to kill us?"

The weasel let out a choking laugh that sent shivers down his spine but otherwise didn't reply. Nick's eyes widened as he saw the small animal was starting to foam at the mouth. He dropped the weasel and stood up leveling his rifle at him as he took a few steps back. The weasel continued to laugh as he began to have a seizure. Nick and Judy both watched in horror as he went through his death throes choking and laughing until at last he lay still. Nick continued to stare as Judy remembered the phone in the car.

She bolted back to the car and put the phone to her ear as she quickly returned to Nick's side. The fox still had the rifle pointed at the dead weasel.

"Chief," Judy said, voice shaky, "we have two suspects here and one overturned car just outside Sahara. Both suspects are dead."

Chief Bogo sounded relieved when he spoke. "Understood Hopps. Don't touch anything. Our team will take care of searching. Any further injuries?"

Judy looked over at Nick who still hadn't taken his eyes off the weasel. When he spoke, it was dreadfully calm and quiet. "Tell Bogo, one suspect killed himself."

She went back to the phone. "No further injuries chief but...one suspect apparently killed himself as we approached."

There was no hesitation in the Chief's voice as he spoke. "Get clear of the immediate area and take up hiding spots and wait for our cars. DO NOT engage any other suspects or give yourself away. Am I understood?"

That filled Judy with dread. The way he said it, what he said, and the nuances that normally aren't heard through the phone...such as a hoof hitting a wall. She looked at Nick who finally glanced at her, sensing her unease. She spoke quietly into the phone. "Understood Chief."

 **AN: Long awaited and finally out! Sorry it took so long! My dear friend Falcon had to step away to deal with other things so the first five chapters have been edited by him. After that, I have a new editor lined up to keep the story clear of errors and other issues for your reading pleasure!**

 **Thanks for being patient with me, and sticking by as I got it all lined up. Next up is more. The story is not complete yet, but I have a good 13 chapters already lined up! In this story, the pair will make new friends and even a few...baddies...who are these new guys? Why are they trying to kill Nick and Judy? Only time will tell! Wish them luck!**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keftense**


	2. Hospital Again?

**Chapter 2**

Hospital Again?

They sat in the underbrush on the side of the road. The sounds of the cooling car engines reaching their ears along with the hissing of water dribbling onto the hot motor from the ruptured radiator of the overturned car. Nick kept scanning the road, watching for any sign of other drivers or suspects. One car showed up - a blue four door sedan which pulled off the side of the road.

A puma stepped out while on the phone. She slowly approached the overturned car. When the puma got close enough to see what was in the driver's seat, her eyes widened and she turned away. From their hiding place Nick and Judy could hear her heaving. When the puma looked back, she looked panicked and started to sound hysterical.

Nick started to get up and go to her before Judy grabbed his arm. "Nick don't! she hissed at him. "Remember what Bogo said?"

Nick nodded. "Yes but look at her Carrots! I really don't think she's involved." He started to get up from the small hill they were hiding behind, rustling a bush on his way up.

The puma's face instantly changed from fear and shock to a scowl and from her purse she drew an automatic pistol. She fired into the bushes near where they hid, and Nick dropped back down in an instant with a shocked look on his face to find Judy staring at him with an 'I told you' look.

Nick could only stammer, "Well...I have been known to be wrong from time to time..."

The fire subsided and they cautiously peeked up, watching the puma scan the bushes. She dropped her magazine and quickly loaded a fresh one in one fluid motion. Her face was locked in focus and she brought the phone back up to her ear.

She was close enough to be heard saying, "They are here, I am sure of it." She paused as she listened to the other end of the line. "I don't care about that. Let them come, I will be the one to kill the targets."

With that, she dropped the phone to the asphalt of the road surface and started to stalk in their direction, gun at the ready. Nick slowly started to raise his rifle to rest on the small hill. It seemed as though minutes passed but the puma had only taken a few cautious steps in that time. Judy re-positioned herself with equal steady speed until her face was next to Nick's. She whispered in his ear, "Try to disarm her."

The fox watched through his scope as the Puma's ear swiveled in their direction. She started to slowly bring her pistol towards them and Nick had a perfect profile shot. He exhaled and, in the momentary pause between breaths, squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out and directly hit the pistol held in the puma's paw, causing her to shriek out in pain. Nick jumped up from the bushes and ran towards the wounded animal with all the speed he could muster. She was too preoccupied by her bleeding paw to take notice of the fox until he slammed into her back and threw his arms around her neck, putting her into a headlock.

Nick instantly regretted his decision as she quickly cleared her airway, tucked her chin, shifted her weight and threw Nick into the pavement, overpowering the much smaller mammal with ease. Momentarily dazed, he quickly focused his eyes to see Judy running towards him and nodded once to him as she came. Nick understood what she needed him to do, and he raised his legs and held out his paws towards her.

Two body lengths away, Judy jumped towards him. She landed her feet on his and gripped his paws with hers. With all he could muster, Nick rolled back onto his shoulder-blades and kicked his feet along with Judy pushing against his. A fraction of a second later they let go of each other's paws. Judy did one flip in the air before coming full circle and planting both of her massive feet square into the face of the puma. When she kicked, there was so much pressure in the blow that Judy was propelled into a backflip and landed heavily atop Nick.

They both scrambled up to find the puma on the ground moaning in pain. Nick rushed the animal and put her face into the pavement with one paw facing up between his legs, one knee rested on the back of her neck, the other knee in the middle of her back. As he shuffled on his knees closer to her, it elevated her arm causing serious stress on her shoulder, the pain forcing her to stop struggling.

Meanwhile, Judy ran back to the car and shuffled through it until she found a roll of heavy duty tape and brought it to tie up the suspect. As her feet and paws were trussed, the puma started to scream incoherently. Nick shifted uncomfortably hearing it and when he looked down at the puma she smiled a bloody grin and spat out her own tongue. Nick couldn't believe what he just witnessed and a glance at Judy told him that she hadn't either. The air split with the sounds of sirens, and Judy ran to the middle of the road to get their attention while Nick stayed with the puma.

The felid only giggled as blood dribbled onto the asphalt under her chin. Nick leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "I don't know who you are, or why you're after us, but when I find out, I'll be the one who books your boss downtown."

The puma only laughed and winked at him.

Judy waved down the cars coming down the road. Sergeant Wolford and Officer Reynarks got out of the first car, Blackhard and Deepstalk out of the second. Lieutenant Fangmeyer and McHorn out of the third and finally Grizzoli and Snarlov from the fourth. She was instantly relieved to see them all here in force and started to relax. Officers Blackhard and Deepstalk went to her while Wolford and Reynarks went to Nick. Meanwhile the swat truck deployed their cargo of wolves and komodo dragons to sweep and secure the area.

Judy smiled at the wolf and dragon pair. "John, Calvin, I'm glad you made it."

Calvin nodded. "Are you hurt, Officer Hopps?"

She shook her head. "No, but Nick was hit in the neck. It stopped bleeding on its own but I think he needs stitches."

John Blackhard shook his head as he chuckled, despite the situation. "Why is it always Nick?"

"Probably my magnetic personality." The fox had come walking over as Wolford and Reynarks loaded the puma up into the cruiser, after making sure she was well restrained. He smiled at the gathered animals. "Glad you could show up after missing all the fun!"

Calvin chuckled. "You're awfully cheerful for someone who just survived an assassination attempt."

Nick shrugged and responded with his signature smirk. "All in a day's work for the only fox on the force."

Calvin nodded slowly. "Uh huh, sure. Anyway, let's get you loaded up and to the hospital."

"Yay..." Nick groaned sarcastically as they approached the waiting cruiser.

The reynard twitched slightly as Dr. Krakenhund worked to clean his wound.

"Officer Wilde, please hold still. It's not going to be pretty when I get the stitching needles out if you keep moving like this."

"Aww come on Doc, you're a miracle worker here."

Krakenhund stopped for a moment and looked at Nick's ears. "I'm still sore at you over pulling out your stitches. You could have kept that chunk in your ear had you left it alone."

Nick smiled as the doctor grabbed his suture needle. "Well I needed to look like a dirt-bag."

Krakenhund laughed. "Your normal off-duty attire should have sufficed in that case."

Nick's face fell into one of surprise. "Ouch doc! Well then let me rephrase, I needed to look like a _different_ dirt-bag." He thought for a moment before smirking. "We really must stop meeting like this. We don't want my wife finding out about us, do we?"

Judy scoffed and rolled her eyes while sitting in the corner on the stool. Dr. Krakenhund never missed a beat, or stopped in his work. "Then stop getting shot, Wilde."

Nick's face fell to frustration. _Beaten again, damn._

Krakenhund tied off the last stitch and sighed. "Well there we go Officer - eight stitches done. You're free to go back to work, just watch the collar on your uniform. Keep to office duty and try not to do anything strenuous for the next few days. Don't want to chafe the stitches, alright?"

"Believe me, Nick doesn't go in for strenuous," Judy smiled.

The fox placed a paw over his heart. "Dear, I am hurt." He stood up and gave the wolf a crisp salute and followed up with a smirk "Yes sir! I will follow your advice to the letter."

The doctor simply rolled his eyes and spoke in good humor. "Alright that's enough of you for one day. Get out, and I will see you in a week for your yearly spine check up."

They left the office and started to head back to the exit of the hospital. Judy gripped his paw in hers as they walked. Nick felt his heart lift at her touch and smiled to himself. Official policy of the ZPD stated that relationships with other officers was strictly forbidden, but since their relationship had been cultivated before Nick was an officer, Bogo was able to swing it with the commissioner stating that they were romantically involved before Nick became an officer. It wasn't exactly _true_ , but after the events in the Canals district, Chief Bogo felt as though they deserved to have this. Nick privately admitted he owed that buffalo a massive debt. After a few minutes they came to the waiting room where Calvin and John waited for them.

"Hey guys, how long till I get my car back?" Nick asked, already knowing the answer.

John shrugged. "When forensics is done with it...and your insurance fixes the damage. Until then you get to have us as your chauffeurs."

Nick chuckled at that. "Is that what you did for Mr. Big before you joined the ZPD?"

John shifted uncomfortably before responding. "That and...other things."

Nick decided not to press the subject and simply shrugged. "No worries big guy, I'm just ready to go home."

John nodded and together all four animals made their way out of the hospital to the waiting cruiser. Calvin's tail dragging on the tile floor was the only sound heard other than the soft padding of their feet as they walked out into the cool night air.

Judy couldn't imagine after all these years how Nick could manage to keep his cool despite what had just happened. He swaggered his way to the cruiser, lax look on his face as he climbed in. She climbed in with him and only half paid attention to his conversation with John. She kept her eyes on her husband.

John asked off hand as they started the car on their way. "So how's your old bud Finnick doing, Wilde?"

Nick chuckled. "Well he's not a huge fan of the ZPD, but he makes one hell of a Confidential Informant."

John nodded as he rounded a corner down another street. "What's he do for a living again?"

"He opened his own business actually. He's a private eye looking into everything from bullies to cheating spouses. He's damn good at it too."

Judy smiled at hearing the story again. She was glad Finnick went legitimate after helping them during the Canals Incident. The car came to a stop outside their home in that district. Nick and Judy both liked it because of how close they lived to all the new friends they found. Plus traffic in the morning was not so bad as it was back in the center of the city, consisting mostly of workers traveling to the district to work the docks, and tourists traveling the new boardwalk that popped up a year after the freeing of the docks.

Nick and Judy wished the pair a nice night and headed up the walkway towards their home. As they approached, they saw a panther standing in the yard next door, waving wildly. "Nick! Judy! I saw the news! Are you okay?"

Judy waved back as they came to a stop to chat. "Hey there! Kerava, right? Cal's new roommate?"

She nodded. "Yes that's right - Kerava Darkfur. I moved in right as you guys were packing up to leave for your cabin. But you guys are alright?"

Nick smiled and leaned his head over to show the wound. "Yep, just some stitches and I'm good as new!"

Judy noticed the panther wringing her paws as she looked at the wound, almost massaging her them as she spoke. "Oh...it looks painful. How are you going to wear your uniform? Looks like that's where your collar would rest."

Nick smirked. "Guess I'll have to go with my top buttons loose."

Judy rolled her eyes as she let out a good humored chuckle. "Oh you're _such_ a bad example. Wait till Reynarks sees it. You know Wolford will kill you if his partner starts following your fashion sense with the uniform?"

Nick laughed as he turned towards the door and unlocked it. "Probably. Hey Kerava, it's nice to finally meet you for real this time, but we gotta head to bed soon."

The panther almost looked ashamed at keeping them from their rest "Oh right! I'm sorry, I ramble sometimes."

Judy patted the paws that Kerava still wrung nervously, "It's fine, we will see you again tomorrow! Good Night!" With that Judy started towards the door which Nick held open for her.

Right as they stepped inside, Kerava called to them. "If you ever need anything whatsoever, let me know, okay guys?"

The fox smiled as he started to close the door. "Same to you, neighbor! Good night!"

The door closed and Nick locked it. He exhaled deeply as he walked to their bedroom. "Well what a day huh, Carrots?" Judy was already in the bedroom setting her uniform out for the next day.

She continued to set it up as she responded. "It could have been worse I suppose." She paused and looked over at her husband standing in the doorway, "I'm just glad you are okay, Nick."

Nick started to get undressed for a shower. He stopped for a moment before responding. "I'm glad we're _both_ okay. Next time we go to the cabin, we either take a different route, or public transportation."

He continued to get undressed and set his bloody shirt on the top of the pile of dirty clothes. Judy saw that the blood had run down his fur quite a ways and had stopped at his waist, having pooled a bit from sitting in the car. It hadn't looked like it had bled that much when they were in the car. Nick smiled at her as he headed for the bathroom and started the water for a bath.

Judy listened to the water run for a bit before setting Nick's uniform out as well. In a small shadow box on the dresser was his first badge in the ZPD. The one she had presented him with and he wore on the day of the explosion that turned their world upside down. It was polished and clean and still had the numerous scratches and chips from that harrowing few weeks. She admired the pictures alongside of it. There was one of Jack the saltwater croc in his military uniform, one of the monitor Vek holding his daughter, and one framed on the wall of the remaining team standing beneath the statue on the day it was revealed. Nick and Judy had been made to stand in front of the rest of the group tall and proud. The rabbit smirked at the picture. 'Handsome fox'. The water in the bathroom got shut off and she wandered in to find Nick reclining in the hot water with his eyes closed. He hadn't started to wash and the water had a slight red tint to it as the blood caked in his fur began to break loose.

Without opening his eyes, Nick smiled as she came in and sat down near his head looking at his neck. She took the washcloth and dipped it in the hot water and began to dab near his wound. "You gonna help me with my stitches this time?"

She giggled as she continued to clean it up. "Of course I will!" She slowed to a stop before she spoke again. "Nick...what's going on? Assassins? Are they after us?"

Nick opened his eyes and looked over at her, "I don't know...we'll figure it out. We always have."

Judy shook her head. "We got lucky today. If we hadn't been...we...or you..." She trailed off as the emotions started to rush back, feeling blood on her face that wasn't hers, the look Nick had in his eyes as he focused on driving.

Nick reached up and took her paw in his as he spoke. "Carrots, we did get lucky, and we'll hold onto that luck. For whatever reason, we're still here and we'll figure this out."

Judy brought his head closer and they rested with their heads together as she whispered, "Neither one of us should have to keep that promise we made two years ago."

After a few minutes like that, Judy shared his bath. The mood improved as they started splashing each other in good humor and ended when Judy put her paws on his shoulders and forced him under the water giggling. He came back up sputtering to a victorious bunny staring at him, massive grin, bright eyes. Nick could only laugh. How proud she was, stripped to the fur dripping wet. What a sight to behold.

He continued to giggle as he got out of the bath and grabbed a towel. "Alright, Carrots, enough play, we need to head for bed so we can get to work tomorrow."

She looked offended...sounded it too. "Hey, you're going to quit right as I was winning?"

Nick turned and tossed her towel so it hit her in the face. Judy didn't even flinch and took it square in the face. The fox laughed anew. "How else would I keep the score even, Fluff?"

She pulled the towel off her face and looked him in the eye. "Oh YOU!"

Nick's face fell as he saw that look. "Uh-oh!" He took off into the bedroom stark naked, Judy stumbling out of the tub, chased after him but when she got to the bedroom he was nowhere to be seen.

"GOTCHA!" Nick had been hiding behind the door and with that proclamation he jumped out and started tickling her. She laughed and tried to fight him off, but to no avail, he had gotten very strong since his first month on the force. She used the only dirty trick she could think of, the one thing that always worked, she reached up and started scratching behind one of his ears, causing Nick to almost freeze. The shocked look on his face was replaced by one of pleasure as she slowly started to pull away from his flexing paws. When the moment was right, she started tickling him back.

Nick fell to the floor rolling around laughing hysterically until they came to rest in each other's arms. There they stayed for a minute, finishing their giggling.

Once they calmed down, Nick stood up and pulled the covers back and crawled in. Judy followed and snuggled up behind him as he turned out the lights. They settled in and she threw her arm over him to rest her paw on his chest. There she felt the scars of two bullet wounds and stitching.

It hurt her heart to remember the night. Every time she saw them, she was back in the warehouse hearing the shots that did that to him. Counseling had helped but the memories haunted her still.

She hugged him tight. "Don't ever leave me Nick...just don't."

He patted her paw with his. "I'm not going anywhere, Judy. I'm here to stay."


	3. Seeking Answers

**AN: Welcome back my friends! Here we go with chapter 3. Edited by the awesome AngloFalcon!**

 **Chapter 3**

Seeking Answers

The alarm sounded. Nick groaned and hit the snooze button. He didn't have much time to slip back to sleep before Judy prodded his side with her elbow.

"Come on Slick, let's get going."

She climbed out of bed, leaving the covers open and allowing a draft to run up his back. He shivered and flopped the covers back down. The fox heard Judy snicker as she pulled the covers off the bed, leaving him fully exposed to the 5am air of the house.

He sat up rubbing his face, still groggy. "Aw now that's just cruel, Carrots."

The rabbit tackled him back onto the bed, giggling, and gave him a kiss before whispering in his ear, "I'll get the coffee on, that should get you going."

He snickered and gave her a kiss before responding, "You get me going..."

She laughed as she threw on one of his large shirts. "Oh I bet I do. Up and at 'em, Slick Nick!"

Nick snickered to himself as he swung his legs out of bed. The toes on his right foot were numb this morning, and he flexed them trying to get some feeling back in them before slowly standing. Nick absently thought about the day he was about to have. Going through all the paperwork from yesterday's events, and hopefully the suspect didn't find a way to kill herself in the night. He put on his uniform while standing in front of the mirror, slowly buttoning up his shirt and looking at his reflection. Even in his unbrushed, morning face, he admired what he saw. His eyes, showed trust on a level he could never achieve as a hustler, and his shoulders were squared and proud from service, not from cheats. He was a different animal, and wherever his dad was, Nick hoped he would be proud of the fox he had become.

Judy showed up with a pair of cups, smiling as she walked in. "Hot and sweet, just the way you like it."

He gladly took the cup from her and sent her a wink. "Just the way I like my wife."

She chuckled as she looked into the mirror with him. "I'll have to meet her someday; she sounds like one lucky fox to have you."

Nick looked over at her slyly. "Oh she _is_ lucky, but she's no fox!"

Judy cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Not a conventional relationship? Oh my...You must share with me!"

Nick leaned over at her with his usual smirk. "Honey, you wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

Judy planted a kiss on his lips. She pulled back and started to walk to her uniform. "Or maybe, just maybe, I would."

Nick stood there still smiling for a while as he watched her get dressed. Finally he straightened up and looked back in the mirror to pin on his badge. "So I take it you're not in a conventional relationship either? Who'd you marry?"

She giggled from the other side of the room. "A handsome fox."

Nick tried to button up to the last button but the collar rubbed against his stitches. He sighed as he left it alone and put on his tie loosely. He stood staring at himself with a frown at the loose tie and unbuttoned collar before gasping, "Oh my god!"

Judy looked over concerned. "What is it?"

The fox looked at her, smirking. "I think I'm starting to become Bogo! I hate looking out of uniform like this!"

She laughed at him as she pinned on her own badge. "You roll your sleeves like that - you're always out of uniform."

"Not out of uniform Carrots, just out of regulations." he responded in a half mocking tone.

Judy drained her coffee before responding, "Semantics."

Nick smiled as he headed for the kitchen with his empty cup in paw. "One of my many endearing qualities, I assure you!"

She followed him out as they put their cups in the sink and went to the front door. Nick stopped at it and smiled for a moment, looking over the house. His wife grinned at him. "What are you thinking about?"

He looked down at her, still smiling. "How happy I am to be here with you."

Judy thought after a year of marriage he wouldn't be able to make her blush but that comment proved her wrong. She felt her ears go hot as she smiled and let out a shy giggle as they stepped out into the crisp morning air.

She looked next door as Nick locked the door to see Calvin speaking with Kerava. The panther was standing in the doorway, Calvin in his uniform on the first step leading to the front door. "Okay Cal, your lunch is a bug sandwich with fresh lettuce and mayo. Thermos has black coffee. Not sure I could make it any stronger for you. Pretty sure you could degrease engines with it already."

Calvin nodded to her. "Thanks Rava, don't know what I would do without you!" He turned to walk down the path to the sidewalk.

She called out to him as he walked away, tail dragging in his wake, "You'd probably starve!" She looked over and saw her neighbors walking out and locking the door. "Hey, Nick! Hey Judy! Have a good and safe day at work!"

Nick smiled as he walked down to join Calvin. "I don't know how you live with that guy; he keeps his living space so warm, I practically died in the week I spent at his house in the canals!"

She laughed. "I'm from the Rainforest District. Only difference is there's no humidity here!"

Nick waved to her and joined Judy and Calvin as they waited at the curb for him. Together the three animals started their walk into work. They made pleasant conversation as they went along.

Nick looked over at Calvin, smirk on his face. "So your roommate makes you lunch for the day?"

Calvin shrugged smiling. "Sure, I think she is a pretty awesome roommate. Deals with the heat better than you did too."

"Coffee too, huh?"

Calvin nodded, not quite understanding where Nick was going with this. "Yep, coffee too...why?"

Nick's smirk became a wide smile. "She cook for you?"

Calvin looked over at him, becoming a bit suspicious. "Yes...not the greatest cook, but she bakes like a pro. Again though, why do you ask?"

The fox chuckled. "Sounds like she wants to be more than your friend."

Judy elbowed him. "Nick, stop antagonizing Cal."

Calvin, for his part, laughed. "Rava and me? No way that would happen!" He stopped laughing and thought for a moment before looking at Nick with a slightly confused face. "You don't think? Really? Rava and I?"

Nick shrugged and put his paw on Judy and brought her closer to him. "A bunny and a fox can, I see no reason why a reptile and mammal can't. I mean you already have shortened each others names. Next comes the cute names. Like Carrots or Slick."

Calvin thought on that for a minute before shrugging. "No idea, however I think you should get to know her better. How about dinner tonight at our place?"

Judy smiled. "Oh that would be fun, if she's okay cooking for two more."

Calvin pulled out his phone and started typing. "Sure, let me just get an answer from her on the idea,"

A few moments of buzzing phones and chuckles passed before he looked over at them with a grin. "The answer is a hearty 'yes', AND she is going to make dessert."

When the three made it to the ZPD, Clawhauser nearly squeezed Nick and Judy to death. He had been deeply troubled by yesterday's events and kept looking at Nick's neck as they chatted for a while. Finally they headed to the bullpen to await the morning orders. There the mood was less jovial than normal. All the animals went silent as they entered. Some stood up and came over to check over the pair and ask how they were feeling. Many expressed deep desires to find those responsible. Nick and Judy found their seats and Calvin sat next to his partner John as Bogo stepped into the room.

Chief Bogo flicked out his readers and shuffled a few case files about. Some went to TUSK duty, others in undercover, a pair to check on CI's until the only ones left were Nick, Judy, John, and Calvin's. He looked at the four with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Now for you four. Getting to the bottom of this is your first priority. Look into the case files of the Canals Incident, and read over your reports. Look for anyone with a motive for this attack. As it stands, these were not some street thugs. These were professionals. They are skilled and dedicated to their cause."

He shuffled through some papers at his podium before continuing. "The autopsy on the dead assassins is not finished yet but we have some things of interest. First is that the weasel killed himself with a cyanide pill. The ram and puma both had one as well that they never got the chance to use. Second; the bones in one arm of each assassin are..different. They are thicker and more dense as well as the bones in their paws. This is likely due to striking a hard surface repeatedly and being healed over time. It's possible that they feel nothing in their knuckles. If you run into any more assassins, DO NOT engage them in paw to paw combat. A hit from them could be devastating."

Bogo came around the podium and handed them each the new case file. "Now, Sergeant Wolford and Officer Reynarks are about to interrogate our prisoner. I suggest you go with them and watch."

All four of them nodded as the got the files and left the room to find Wolford. He was sitting at his desk with Reynarks looking over some paperwork on the desk next to him. The younger fox smiled at them as they approached. "Good to see you looking well, Officer Wilde."

Wolford chuckled. "Only _slightly_ out of uniform with that collar and tie."

Nick shrugged as he responded, "I'm not crazy about it either. Sleeves sure, but this is just sloppy."

Reynarks smirked at him. "Well then, you should stop getting shot."

Nick looked over at the younger fox with a wounded expression. "Are you drinking buddies with my doctor or something? Jeez."

Judy giggled at Nick's expense for a moment before turning to Wolford. "So Sergeant, I hear we have a puma to talk to?"

Wolford shook his head as he stood. "No, you are to observe only. Officer Reynarks will conduct the interrogation. We can't have the assassin in the same room with her targets."

Nick nodded. "Right, one small problem with all this - she has no tongue, remember? How is she going to tell us anything?"

Reynarks held up a pad of paper and a pen with a smirk on his face.

Nick's expression changed to one of acceptance. "Very well, lead the way!"

They walked to a set of rooms, one with the suspect and the other with recording equipment and a one way mirror. Reynarks went into the room with the suspect who was under guard and cuffed to the table. The rest stepped into the observation room where they watched the young fox.

Tommy Reynarks, knew he was being watched and despite having done many interrogations over the past two years, this one was different. This one involved two of the most influential police officers of his life, and he was ready to get any information he could out of this assassin.

He remained standing after he placed the pad of paper and pen in front of the puma. "Alright, I'm going to ask a few questions and you can write down the answers as you feel ready to reply. First of all, how is your tongue doing?"

The puma slid the pad over closer and started writing. She flipped it over so he could read. 'Gone'

Reynarks chuckled. "I only meant how what was left was healing."

She flipped it back over and wrote some more. 'Ask your questions'.

He shrugged. "Well let's start with you; do you have a name?"

She simply smiled as she began to pop her knuckles on her right paw, cuffs clinking quietly as she did. Reynarks watched as she brought her thumb pad up to each other pad and pulled it down, popping it, repeating the process on each pad before flexing the paw, letting loose a new ratcheting sound as they all popped together. She never responded to his question.

The popping made him shift uncomfortably before asking another question. "Do you pop your knuckles like that because of how much it has been broken in the past?"

This time she started to write again. 'Where's the fox?'

He smiled. "You don't have any problems with your eyes, do you? I am a fox."

She let out a mocking chuckle as she started writing again. 'I'm not here for a kit. I want Nicholas P Wilde.'

Reynarks looked over at the mirror where he knew Wilde was watching. His mind raced. "What about Officer Judy Hopps?"

The puma smiled in such a way that Reynarks actually found himself uncomfortable being in the same room with her. She wrote on the pad two words that made his fur stand on end. 'Bonus Bunny'.

He stood in the room feeling like someone just turned on the heat. His paws were sweating. He was about to leave but the sound of the puma writing got his attention. When he looked at what she wrote, he felt slightly confused. "What's my name?", he read aloud.

The look on her face told him that she had asked a rhetorical question and instead of pressing the issue he left to go meet in the observation room with his fellow officers. He just wanted to get away from the unsettling feline.

The door opened and Officer Reynarks walked in to find all the officers watching the puma as she just sat there staring back at the mirror. He joined the officers. "Sergeant, what did she mean by asking what her own name was?"

Wolford sighed deeply. "She's toying with us. The problem is that there's nothing on these assassins. They have no names, no paw print data, no blood work, no paper trail. Nothing. She had an ID on her but it was a fake. We had to run an ink analysis on it to figure that out. A VERY good fake. These animals simply don't exist according to everything we have."

The lupine turned to the team in the room. "We need something on her, anything that we can use to make her uncomfortable. Another assassin with their tongue still in their mouth would be good. Or something that links her to an organization or animal. We're effectively stumbling around in the dark here."

Nick nodded and continued to stare at the feline on the other side. "She did give us one thing though."

Reynarks looked at the older fox. "What's that?"

"She was hired. When you asked about Judy, she said bonus bunny. That implies payment. There's a hit out on me and my wife is a bonus target." Nick's voice trailed off with depression as he finished his sentence.

He turned to Judy who was staring up at him with her ears laid back against her head. He sighed deeply. "Being around me is dangerous. I know how contracts like these work. If they get me, the contract ends and they will gain nothing from killing you after. With us together, you're in serious danger."

Judy's ears popped back up in challenge. "Oh no Slick, you are _not_ about to suggest what I know you are. You are out of your mind if you think I will go somewhere else just to keep myself safe."

Nick sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "Judy, if we were not married, if we were any other cops in the precinct, you know that this is how it would go."

Wolford signaled to the other animals in the room and they all discreetly left the couple in the room alone while Judy started to tap her foot with frustration. "You're missing the part where we LIVE together! Am I just going to go live somewhere else while assassins close in on my husband?"

He sat silently for a moment before responding in a hushed, downcast tone. "Yes, that's exactly what you should do."

Judy was about to respond when her phone buzzed. She pulled it out to find a picture of her father. Just what she needed. She thumbed it open and answered as cheerfully as she could.

"Oh hey dad! What's up?"

His voice was filled with concern. "I just saw the news Judy. Why didn't you call when you were safe?"

She put her paw to her forehead as she responded. "There was a lot going on yesterday. I'm sorry we didn't call."

There was a pause on the other end for a bit before he responded, "How's my fox son doing? I heard he had been hurt."

She looked over at Nick who had his face buried in his paws. "He's fine physically, but I want to get his head looked at. He is starting to make some questionable decisions."

Stu put some authority in his voice. "Well no matter what, you two stick _together._ You depend on each other. Bon feels the same way."

Judy's ears fell a bit and Nick looked up. She looked at the phone mournfully as she spoke. "How is mom?"

Stu responded cheerfully. "Getting better every hour. Like I said, probably just a bug or something. Anyhow, you two be careful, okay? Love ya both."

Nick chimed in from his seat. "Love you too dad!"

"Okay, love you dad, bye bye!" Judy finished.

She hung up the phone and looked Nick in the eyes. "Sorry, Dad's orders. You're stuck with me Slick."

A knock on the door kept Nick from responding. The door opened and Wolford poked his head in. "Don't mean to disturb you two but this can't wait."

Nick looked over at him. "Sure bud, what is it?"

Wolford opened the door and stood straight and tall.

"Mayor Growlburn would like to see you two...right now."

 **AN: Uh oh...the mayor wants to see them, and whats this about a contracted hit? Oh dear our pair better be careful! It seems that they will be sticking together on this one, but what do you think? Would it be smarter to split up as Nick says, or stick together as Judy and Stu say? Find out in the next chapter coming in a week! Thanks for reading and enjoy it all!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**


	4. Chasing Leads

**AN: Hello again! This time the notes are gonna be short folks! Doing this from a phone is a real pain but I wanna make sure you get this! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 4**

Chasing Leads

Nick and Judy stood outside of the door to the mayor's office. Nick was trying to button up his collar and tighten his tie as Judy smoothed out her uniform. They had only briefly met the mayor after the events of the canals incident as he presented their awards, so this meeting had them shaken a bit. They nodded as they found themselves as ready as they could be. Nick gulped and knocked on the door. A few moments passed before a firm voice responded with "Enter."

The pair opened the door and stepped into the office, straight to the desk. There they stood at attention in front of Mayor Growlburn who sat at his desk with his paws folded on top. He stood and they were again struck by his stature. Mayor Tim Growlburn had impressive muscle mass and was very tall, even for a timber wolf. His fur was darker than that of a normal timber wolf, being a very dark charcoal color and nearly matching his sharp suit. His eyes were ice blue and fierce. He stepped around the desk and knelt down next to Nick who remained motionless.

Nick was about to say something when Growlburn reach over and pulled his collar away from his neckline to examine his stitches. "Officer Wilde, I recommend that you loosen your collar and tie. We don't want your uniform pulling at your stitches."

Nick could only reply with a meek "Yes sir," as he began to do as the mayor asked.

Mayor Growlburn laughed as he stood up and walked back to his seat. "Relax officers. I asked you here for a few reasons, foremost among those reasons was to check your welfare after your harrowing experience yesterday." He held a button on his phone as he spoke. "June, could you bring in a pair of chairs for my guests please?"

The phone responded, "Right away Mayor Growlburn." In a few moments, a jackal brought in a pair of chairs for the two officers to seat themselves. The pair sat down, but remained somewhat rigid as the mayor seated himself and looked at the two officers.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence he opened his paws. "Well?"

It took Nick a moment to realize what he was asking. "Oh right, I'm fine. My doctor does good work. Erm, Judy didn't get hit, but I think we're okay sir."

Judy nodded. "Yes, we are doing well enough despite some of the information we gained through the interrogation of our suspect."

Mayor Growlburn nodded and leaned back in his seat. "What did you learn?"

Judy went on to explain. "Well she didn't give us much, but during the line of questioning she kept asking for Officer Wilde. When asked about me, she only mentioned that I was a 'bonus'."

The mayor leaned forward and sounded upset. "Bonus? They are contracted?"

She nodded. "Yes sir, Officer Wilde's past allowed him the insight into what she meant. So personally they have nothing against us, but they were hired by someone."

The mayor looked over at Wilde who was preoccupied with looking at the wall of his office. When the mayor followed Nick's gaze he found him examining pictures hanging on the wall. The mayor stood up and put his massive paw on Nick's shoulder. "Come along officers, I will give you the tour."

They both followed the mayor to the wall Nick had been looking at before. The pictures were of Tim while he was in the military. He looked much younger in the pictures judging by his fur. It was nearly jet black in them.

Growlburn waved his paw at the first picture. "This was me, 24 years ago, after graduating boot camp. It was a very proud day for me. Changed my life forever." He then motioned to the second picture. "This one is of myself and the platoon I was attached to when we went overseas to the nation of Liz'Marck during the Offensive. What a war that was. I may have changed in boot camp but I grew up in those swamps."

He sighed and wore a faint smile. "It is that very war that makes what you did in the Canals District almost two years ago all the more impressive."

Judy looked up at the massive wolf. "How do you mean?"

He looked down at the bunny, smile still on his snout. "The war was bloody. We hated those fork-tongues with everything we had. Especially with how many we lost and the injuries we all had. Some in heart, some in body, many with both."

He walked back to his seat and the pair followed him and sat in theirs as he continued to speak. "The komodo commandos used darts from their venom to poison and maim our forces. Do you know what kind of venom they have?" Seeing the look on their faces, he continued, "Well it's cytotoxin that causes paralysis and liquefactive necrosis of flesh on top of it. Nasty way to go."

He shook his head before continuing. "Anyhow, did you know that your efforts in the Canals Incident made international headlines? Well I have received a phone call today from the Prime Minister of Liz'Marck speaking of new trade negotiations and immigration between our countries. I had to give her the President's number but she insisted that she meant to call me first...and congratulate the cops who did such an amazing job of unifying our districts. Eventually, if all goes well with this new trade deal, they wish to speak of an alliance between our two countries. In short, we have you to thank for that Officers."

Nick and Judy could only stare with mouths hanging open. Mayor Growlburn laughed at the sight. "Oh you two look hysterical right now." He slowed his laughing as he looked down at his desk, almost speaking to himself. "After what we did to each other over there...I never thought I would see this day.."

He took a moment to collect himself before looking back up. "Sorry about that, lost in thought. Anyway, I should let you get back to your duties. I have to prepare for the second annual Unity Festival. Please stop by as your duties permit you to do so!"

Nick and Judy got up and started to walk with the wolf back to the door. Judy spoke as they walked. "We wouldn't want to impose upon you like that, Mayor Growlburn."

The mayor smiled as he opened the door for them. "Nonsense! I can always make time for my hero cops. Also, you may call me Tim. Have a good day and stay safe, officers."

They smiled as the door closed behind them. They glanced at each other, smiles still upon their faces, as they walked back down to their offices in silence. No words needed after that unusual encounter. They sat down and dug out the files from the Canals Incident and began to sift through them for anything or anyone that they may have missed that would give them a clue to why someone would want them dead. Nick was reading his report from start to finish. Starting with the SUV, the zmail, the explosion. It was quickly becoming difficult to focus on finding answers and all too easy to dwell in the past. Nick had to stop reading and recline in the chair to stare at the ceiling and get his eyes off the paper once he got to Officer Hufferson in his report and how he had died. A few minutes passed before Nick became aware of a sniffling sound from Judy.

He rotated his chair towards her and saw her hunched over with her face buried in her paws as she quietly sobbed. He stood up and walked over to place his paw on her shoulder. Before he did, he saw where she was in her reading. It was the warehouse report and the shooting that left him so critically injured. He rested his paw on her shoulder and she swiveled and hugged him tightly.

Nick hugged her back tightly remembering that night all too well. "It's alright, Carrots, I'm here."

She slowed her sobbing and swiveled back to her desk. "Oh I thought we put all this behind us, Nick. When will it truly end?"

He shrugged. "When we end it, I suppose. We just have to keep digging. We're officers after all, it's what we do."

Judy's eyes began to widen. "Officers...Nick! The officers we arrested that night! Maybe they know something."

Nick caught on. "If it's involved with the Canals Incident, they might know how! Or even who!"

Judy shuffled through her papers to find a list of the arrests and once she found the officers, she started typing furiously on her computer before proclaiming "Ah-Ha! This is Officer Thornberg. He was the rhino you arrested at the docks that night. He is the only one we can visit right now."

Nick smiled as he headed for the door of the office. "That settles it - we're off to see that rhino!"

* * *

The drive to the prison wasn't long. They took their cruiser and it was filled with the hope of finding a lead they could actually chase. They pulled up to the official parking lot and were greeted by one of the guards who asked them for an autograph after asking them to sign in. Nick and Judy shared a laugh over the conversation they had with the cheetah about how he went about asking. He held out a clipboard and told them to sign on the dotted line, flip the page and sign the picture of them.

They parked their cruiser and walked into the prison to a small welcoming committee. There were four guards waiting for them with broad smiles on their faces. They were told to wait for a few minutes in the visitor's area as they went to get the rhino.

Judy sat at the table as Nick stood a short distance away leaning against the wall examining the prison. She smirked at him. "What are you thinking about?"

He looked at her with his usual charm. "Never thought I'd see the inside of this place."

Before she could respond with anything more that a chuckle, the rhino was brought in. He stood in the doorway examining the two officers waiting for him. He let out a heavy sigh before entering and sitting across from Judy.

He looked downright ashamed sitting in front of them. Judy was the first to speak. "Mr. Thornberg?"

He nodded. "Hello Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde."

Judy pressed on. "How have you been?"

The rhino shrugged. "Every day is a battle, but it could be worse I suppose. What can I do for you?"

Judy pulled out a few notes as Nick came over to sit with her. "Well, we had a run-in with some shady characters. We are reasonably sure they were hired to attack us in retaliation for the Canals Incident." Seeing the rhino looking so downcast, she pressed on a bit slower as her ears fell. "We were just curious if you knew anything that might help us connect the dots."

He looked up. There was something different in his eyes, no longer shame but rather something akin to determination.

The sudden change took Judy by surprise and he spoke low. "I don't know the name of the organization, but I can tell you this. There is indeed a contract out on you. I have heard some inmates talking about it. Nobody knows much about them, but I assure you that it is a very heavily used organization, but the methods of contacting them are...hard to figure out. I have heard everything from figuring out a cipher to learn the method of contact to a dead drop location. I can tell you that the contract is for Officer Wilde, and the bonus is for Officer Hopps on top of that."

Nick leaned in. "Is there anything more you can tell us?"

The rhino leaned back in his chair, "Only that, from what I hear, they are good Wilde, very good. You will need back up plans on top of back ups. A miracle would help too."

There was a long silence before the rhino leaned in and spoke softly. "I really want to thank you though. You are the officer I should have been. Maybe my partner would still be alive. I was stupid and ruined the best thing in my life. Now I have to build a new life, but I think I'm on the right track. Been prison cook since day one, and I'm saving every penny I get so I can start my own business when I get out."

Nick grinned at that. "You going to open a restaurant?"

The rhino smiled. "Hufferson Hovel. Going to be specializing in Canals cuisine and on the edge of the Canals District. I know I don't have many friends there, that's part of why I chose that location. Right the wrongs...just like you said."

Judy smiled at him. "When do you get out?"

The rhino leaned back. "Well with good behavior, with my plea, and good word from both of you - thanks again for that - I'm looking at a parole hearing in a few years."

Nick nodded as he stood up from the table. "Love the name of your restaurant. Look forward to trying it out too." He turned to Judy. "We should get going, Carrots. Thanks for everything Thornberg."

They started to walk out but the rhino pressed on with a bit more. "Congratulations on your marriage by the way. I really hope you two survive this. I'm rooting for you."

Nick winked at the rhino as they left. "Thanks big guy, we need all of the help we can get."

* * *

They headed back to the precinct feeling good about the meeting they had with one of the officers they had arrested two years ago. It may not have given them much information, but it did confirm their suspicions. The thing that had Nick worried was the word he used to describe them. _Organization_. It is an organization for hire that has dedicated assassins.

He checked the clock in the cruiser as they pulled back into the garage. It was close to clock out time. Just enough time to turn in the keys, finish the end of day work and link up with Cal. Nick was looking forward to some dinner, and to get his mind off all this. Too much heavy reading.

Keys turned in, reports filed away and everything set for tomorrow, they headed for Clawhauser's desk to find Cal already waiting there for them. "Hey guys, so do you want to change before dinner or just come straight over?"

Nick looked to Judy who only shrugged. "Up to you, Slick,"

He looked back at the dragon as they left the building. "Well if there are assassins waiting at home, I would at least like to have a meal before running into them. Make em wait too."

Calvin chuckled. "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that. Rava likes you guys, and I taught her a few things about handling a gun. So if she saw anything suspicious, she would've called me."

Nick laughed as they rounded the first corner down the city streets. "Well that's comforting, I suppose."

The street lights were beginning to turn on in preparation for the night as they walked silently for a while before Calvin broke the silence. "What did you learn at the prison? Anything good?"

Judy spoke this time. "Only that it is indeed a hired job. And that these are not random thugs, they belong to some sort of organization. Right now that's all we know."

Calvin hung his head low and for a while the only noise heard was his tail dragging behind them. "Well, at least you don't have to go home and cook right?"

They all laughed as they reached the house. Calvin opened the door and their senses were assaulted with the smells of stew, spices, and pastries. They all stood in the doorway for a bit inhaling the smells before the panther appeared in the entryway to the kitchen. She had a towel in her paws.

"Well are you just going to stand there smelling my cooking," Kerava greeted, "or do you want to actually taste it?"

Nick smiled warmly at the panther. "If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'll be in heaven."

She laughed as she waved them in. "Well stay grounded, fox. We like havin you around."

They all walked in and sat at the table. The room was warm, but not overly uncomfortable. Kerava had set the temperature lower for her guests. Nick remembered how hot Calvin's house had been in the Canals when he stayed there for a week.

Kerava dished up everyone before sitting down with a smile, "Well enjoy!"

The meal was fantastic. Vegetable stew, and a small cricket pie for the carnivores. After the plates had been cleared out came desserts of all kinds on their own platter. Homemade doughnuts, apple pie, and strawberries that had first been dipped in white chocolate, then dipped half on each side with dark chocolate forming a V right below the sprig of green at the top. Then Kerava had pipped more dark chocolate onto it in the form of a little bow tie and buttons. She called them Tuxedo Berries.

They all sat together at the table nearly in food induced comas. Nick looked over at the panther who was rubbing her right paw anxiously. "Rava, that...was amazing. I think we may need to come by more often!"

She smiled genuinely at him. "Thanks Nick! I was always a better baker than cook, but I'm glad my cooking met your needs tonight."

They chatted for a while and continued to munch through the deserts still on the table though no one really had room for them anymore, they were just too tasty to pass up. The night was starting to get late and Nick was about to beg to be excused when a noise made his ears perk up. He had heard it earlier that day and it made his fur crawl.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the panther. She had started to pop the knuckles on her right paw. It wasn't just that she was doing it, it was _how_ she was doing it. She was using her thumb pad to pull down each knuckle until it snapped. First it was the index, then the next in the line and so forth. When she finished with that, she flexed her paw and it let out the same ratcheting noise that the puma's had earlier that day.

Nick glanced over at Judy who had been watching the panther do it as well. Kerava was too busy speaking with Calvin about his day to notice them watching. Nick and Judy met eyes and nodded in agreement.

Nick stood up and sighed deeply, smiling. "Well Rava, it has been fantastic, but it's getting late and we should take off. Next time, we'll bring wine."

The rest of the table got up with them as Kerava smiled. "Red or white?"

Nick thought for a moment. "That depends on what you like."

She smiled, walking over to him. "I prefer whites, fruity if possible."

She knelt down a bit to look Nick in the eye. "You are always welcome here. If you ever need anything at all, no matter what that is, please let me know."

Judy came to stand next to him and took his paw in hers. "Thanks Rava, we really appreciate it."

The panther smiled and stared at them both for a time before spreading her paws wide and bringing them both into a tight hug...very tight. "You guys are just awesome. Please be safe, okay? I really worry about you with all this nonsense going on. I can't bare the thought of losing my best neighbors."

With that, they bid the panther and dragon goodnight and headed over to their house. Once the door to their house was shut and locked, Nick looked over at Judy. "Did you see it?"

Judy nodded with seriousness in her eyes. "I did...what do you think?"

Nick slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "I don't know Carrots, but it's starting to look like we have an assassin living next door."

 **AN: uh oh... assassin next door? Is it true? Could Kerava Darkfur be an assassin like the others? If she really is, then this just got very dangerous for our duo. Gonna have to wait for the next chapter to find out though! Hope you all enjoyed it and thanks for reading!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft.**


	5. The Organisation

**AN: So sorry its been such a long wait, but here we go, back to the story. I know you've all been waiting and I now have it back in stride. Read and enjoy and see what's going to become of our friends in this chapter! Big thanks to DrummerMax for his edits on this one!**

 **Chapter 5**

The Organization

Nick's eyes shot open at hearing a knock on the front door to his house. He felt Judy stir next to him and found a pistol being pressed into his paws. They both got up and moved to the front door, guns at the ready, Nick on one side and Judy on the other. He carefully leaned over to look through the peephole at who was standing at his doorstep. What he found was a uniformed officer. Tommy Reynarks.

Nick sighed and had Judy take a few steps back, still holding the pistol at the ready in case this was some sort of trick. Nick unlocked the door and opened it a crack. "Good morning, Officer. Was our music too loud?" Nick took notice of red and blue flashing lights in the neighborhood from a few police cruisers as Reynarks laughed.

"Good morning, Officer Wilde. We have some news for you, would it be okay if I come inside?"

Nick nodded. "Sure bud, come on in."

Reynarks nodded and stepped inside the dark living area as Nick shut the door and Judy flicked on a light. The young fox's ears dropped and his eyes widened. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I didn't think...that...you would be...oh boy."

Both Nick and Judy stood there for a moment before they realized that they were both standing in their house stark naked. Judy blushed and started to leave the room. "Yeah...I'll go put a shirt on."

Nick just laughed and clapped the younger fox on the back. "Sorry 'bout that, we weren't expecting company! Have a seat, we'll be right back."

Reynarks sat down on the couch in the living room. He knew they were married and that this was their house and all. He did just wake them up, so what did he expect to find? He could hear the analog clock on the wall as it ticked out the seconds. 4:23am. Next to it were pictures hanging on the wall. One of them contained two older rabbits who Tommy could only guess were Judy's parents. Another one was of Nick at his graduation from the academy. There were a few more, but his attention was back on Officer Hopps, who came back into the living room with Nick in tow, both now clothed.

Reynarks stood up and still sounded a little embarrassed, "So, I'm really sorry for...uh...that."

Nick waved his paw. "Forget about it...doesn't really bother us. What's up anyway?"

The younger officer shifted slightly as he spoke, "We found someone trying to break into your house and arrested him. Chief Bogo thought it necessary for you two to have 24 hour surveillance on your house. Sergeant Wolford and I stayed late tonight to watch the feeds from the geckos for any sign of suspicious activity. When we saw a car park across the street from your house and no one coming out of it for a while, we decided to check it out."

Geckos had just recently been admitted into the ZPD. Former Mayor Lionheart's 'Small Mammal Initiative' had become the 'Small ANIMAL Initiative'. Geckos and mice were now being trained for modified police duties, including the policing of Little Rodentia and surveillance, the geckos being best for the latter. They had proven themselves very useful during the Canals Incident and had been trained and outfitted with new equipment to suit their new role.

Nick and Judy cast a glance at each other, both thinking of what their neighbor was up to, but decided not to say anything to Reynarks just yet. Nick looked back at the fox. "Is he alive with his tongue in one piece?"

Reynarks smiled. "Actually, yes. We will have to interrogate him down at the station, but he can at least speak."

Nick nodded. "Well, we'll get dressed in our uniforms and come down there with you. Give us a few minutes to get ready."

Reynarks smiled at them. "I'll wait outside for you."

Nick let him out and locked the door before rushing back to the room where Judy was already way ahead of him getting dressed. He started to put his uniform on and, since he hadn't untied his necktie and left it draped over a chair, it was pretty quick. Within five minutes, they were dressed and in the cruiser with Wolford and Reynarks. The drive seemed to take forever, even though the streets were deserted at this time of morning. It was just about 5am and most of the population was just getting up for work. They arrived at the station ready to go, but tried to relax a bit as they walked in past the night dispatch officer. It was still strange to see someone other than the bouncy Benjamin Clawhauser behind the desk in the lobby.

They continued on their way, right to the observation room as Reynarks entered the holding room. Nick and Judy went right to the mirror and watched carefully. The suspect was a jackal of impressive build. Just as tall as Nick, but he seemed to be stronger. His motions were fluid and thought out. Nick thought for a moment that he would make a good pickpocket.

Reynarks sat down at the desk across from the jackal and loosened his tie. "Okay, I already know the identification you carry is fake, so let's just start out with a name."

The jackal smiled and spoke clearly but softly, "Nicholas P. Wilde."

Reynarks put his paw to his face. "Oh boy, not this again." He looked up to find the jackal with a confused look on his face. Tommy smiled. "Oh...you don't know, do you?"

The jackal looked suspicious at this point. "Know what?"

Tommy opened up the file he had with him and pulled out the puma's mugshot, sliding it over to the jackal. "Does she look familiar to you?"

The jackal tossed his head back in laughter. He regained himself after a few moments. "That's funny, the notorious, dangerous and unstoppable BB got caught!"

The fox smiled. "Her name is BB?"

"No you fool, we have numbers. Hers is BB097, mine is M1K3...but most just call me Mike."

Tommy nodded slowly as he thought to himself. "You keep asking for Officer Wilde. I gotta say, you have me interested. How much is the contract on him worth?"

Mike shrugged. "Hell if I know, we don't get paid."

Reynarks scrunched his nose in confusion. "You don't get paid? What do you gain from killing him then?"

Mike's eyes glazed over with wonder. "The love and respect of our master."

The fox pressed on, "And who might that be?"

The jackal suddenly realized he had said too much. "Where is Wilde?"

Nick watched carefully and listened intently. An idea was formulating quickly in his head. He thought about his neighbor Kerava Darkfur as he watched the jackal start popping his knuckles. The same way again. Judy had her eyes locked on his paw as well. Kerava had shown up a month ago, right when they left for the cabin in Bunnyburrow. They had no TV or radio there. Things were getting out of hand and the news was going crazy back in the city, and it had Stu worried. Nick and Judy were out in the middle of nowhere, it would have been easy to kill them out there. So why didn't an assassin show up on their doorstep until three days ago?

Nick had his mind made up as Reynarks walked back into the room, looking defeated. "Give me that file, I have an idea."

Judy stepped forward. "No, Nick, you can't go in the room with an assassin that has orders to kill you! Are you nuts?!"

Nick stopped half out the door with his head and paw still in the room. "Am I nuts? Yes...yes I am."

The door closed and Judy turned to the younger fox. "Was the jackal properly secured?"

Nick walked into the room with his usual swagger and sat down across from the golden brown jackal with his smirk. He opened the file without saying anything and organized the papers on the table, letting the suspect study him. Once he was all finished with his papers, Nick folded his paws and smiled at Mike.

Mike gave him an unsettling smile. "Officer Nicholas P. Wilde. I'm pleased to see you...and look forward to killing you."

Nick continued to smile as he stood up and unplugged the camera in the corner of the room. "Well, you're not in much of a position to do anything." He turned back to the jackal and put his paws in his pockets.

"Really, cop? Is that what you think?"

Nick shrugged. He took one paw out and held up a finger. "I have one question. How many of you are there in the city right now?"

The jackal chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Nick walked over to the mirror, polishing out a smudge with an uncaring look on his face. "Yes, I would. You see, I need to tell the coroner how many body bags he is going to need, since we have already filled two." Nick looked over his shoulder at the jackal. "Kinda sloppy for your illustrious organization, don't you think?"

Mike didn't vocalize a response but his posture stiffened and his face formed a scowl. Nick pressed on, "You see, I have a hard time believing that you guys just keep popping up for me...this activity has been going on for what? A month now? Your first attempt on our lives was three days ago." Nick walked back to the table and stood in front of the jackal. "In that time, I was out in the middle of nowhere, but where were you? So who is the other contract for?"

Nick watched as the brown eyes of the jackal narrowed. _Gotcha_.

The jackal almost growled his response, "There are no other contracts in the city, just two; you and the bunny."

Nick stood up straight and smiled. _Checkmate_. "Ah, no. You see, the contract is only for me, and Judy is the bonus. If I remember my time on the streets, then that is one contract...not two. You specifically said _two_. So, I ask again: who is the second contract?"

The jackal looked very displeased. If it wasn't for the fact that he was chained to the table, Nick was sure he would lash out at him. Mike simply crossed his arms. "I'm done speaking with you."

Nick smiled as he headed for the door. "I'll have your escort take you to your cell, you told me everything I needed to know. I wonder how your master will like that?"

Nick closed the door and heard a quiet swear from the jackal as the door latched closed. He returned to the observation room to find all the animals inside with their mouths hanging open in amazement. Nick simply chuckled. "You know that's bad manners, right? Hey, Tommy, any chance I can get the puma in here next?"

Reynarks practically jumped out of his seat. "Sure, Officer Wilde! I'll go get her now!"

Nick stood looking at Judy with a smirk on his face. "Best hustle in a long time!"

She shook her head with a giggle. "Sly fox."

Wolford made his own chuckle. "You should conduct interrogations more often, Wilde."

He nodded at that. "I think I might. I need to speak with BB though. Now we have leverage on her. While I feel like we're not really closer to solving this, we're learning more about this organization, and maybe we can get her to tell us who the client is."

A few minutes passed as the jackal had been taken out and back to his holding cell, the puma taking his place in the chair. Nick watched carefully as she was restrained with her paws being chained to the table. Once he was satisfied, he turned to Judy. "I have a strange feeling. Keep an eye on her for me; if she does anything to get loose, come in guns blazing."

Judy nodded. "Be careful, Nick."

Nick walked out and back to the holding room again. He stepped in and smiled at the puma. "Hello BB097, good to see you again."

He watched as her expression fell and a look of shock crossed her face. Nick tried to keep his smirk under control as he played it cool. "Oh, sorry, do you prefer BB? I know that's what the others call you."

He watched as the puma's paws clenched into fists and her face started to harden. She grabbed the pen and pad on the table and started scribbling. 'So you found her, so what?'

Nick couldn't believe his luck. He needed to think fast. "Yes...yes we did. She told us plenty. I know your master is going to be displeased with you and her. She even gave us the location of another assassin...lemme see here..." Nick shuffled through some papers for dramatic effect. "Ah here we go, his name is M1K3. He's getting processed now. That other contract of yours is causing quite the mess for you."

The puma scribbled again, 'She's a traitor and deserves to die! Put her in prison with me and be done with it!'

Nick leaned over to read the pad with his paws in his pockets. Seeing it, he stood up and shrugged. "Oh, well you see, we can't process anyone without having a name to put on the transfer papers, so tough luck on that one. We have your name though, so I expect you will be leaving us soon."

Rage, barely checked, crossed her eyes as she scribbled again, 'K3R454'.

Nick smiled, "Well, I know how these deals go, especially with a moniker of master at the head. If you don't eliminate one of the contracts now, since you have done so poorly thus far, being captured and all, you will likely have no home to go back to. You will have to compete with M1K3 for the kills though; good luck with that!"

Quicker than Nick could imagine, BB lashed out towards him. Though he figured the chain would stop her, he ducked instinctively. It turned out to be the only thing that saved him as her paw swiped right over his head. She was loose in the room with him, and she was much larger and quicker. He tried to dive under the table, but her foot swiped out his legs from under him. Nick rolled as fast as he could as her paw came down on the floor, cracking the tile. He met her eyes as she turned to continue to pursue him. She whipped the chain of the cuff up into her other paw and wrapped it around her fist, forming a chain knuckleduster of sorts. She charged at him as he stood back up and coiled his legs for another dive. He didn't get away this time as her body bashed him into the wall, stealing the breath from his lungs from the sudden impact. He dropped to the floor just as her chained fist came against the wall, putting a large hole through it.

Suddenly, she was pulled away from him by Wolford who threw her over the table. Reynarks came over to Nick and started helping him off the floor. Nick watched in morbid fascination as the two animals battled for dominance, both being paw-to-paw experts. One move countered by the other one in a never-ending struggle against an evenly matched opponent. Reynarks went to help his partner.

As Reynarks got within range, Wolford ducked under a blow that would have knocked him out. It wasn't a complete miss though, and the sound of breaking bones could be heard over the panting and grunting as her fist connected with Tommy's head. Nick watched as the younger fox's head was spun sideways along with the rest of his body, blood spinning in the air. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor. Nick watched as a dart flew across the room and struck the puma right in the neck, dropping her almost instantly. When Nick looked to the doorway, he saw Judy with a dart pistol in her paws, frozen in place.

Wolford stood over her for a moment before beginning to cuff her with his own set. Nick only had his thoughts on the other fox, and he moved over to him quickly. His head was twisted in an awkward angle and blood leaked from his jaws, eyes half closed and dull. Just by looking at the mess, he knew he couldn't move him, so he felt his neck carefully for a pulse. To Nick's relief, he found it, still strong.

"Judy, get EMA here now!"

She ran out as Wolford turned to see his partner on the floor, un-moving. "No, no, no, not again!"

He got down with Nick and held Tommy's paw in his. Nick locked eyes with Wolford and saw intense pain and agony in the wolf's eyes. "Relax bud, he's alive. You know we foxes aren't exactly frail."

Wolford put his other paw on Nick's shoulder and lowered his head as the emergency medical animals poured into the room. One helped Wolford out of the way as the rest did careful inspections of the wounded officer before setting his neck right and placing it in a brace. Reynarks stirred and blinked as they brought in the splint board for him.

The young fox looked absolutely terrified. Wolford went back to his side and took up his paw. "Relax Reynarks, you took quite the hit."

Now the fox just looked confused. "Hit? Where am I?"

Wolford scrunched up his nose. "You're in the ZPD station, you helped Officer Wilde off the floor and came to assist me. I guess I dodged a hit, but you took it."

The young officer looked even more confused and Nick's heart began to drop as he saw the look on Reynark's face. Wolford still didn't get it, but he would hear some of the hardest words of his life from the fox.

"Who are you?"

 **AN: Oh boy...Wolford's gonna have a hard time with that one isn't he? Well lets hope Tommy can make a quick recovery and get his memory back. Not to mention that there is actually a hit out on our dynamic duo. Only time will tell what will become of them! Best of luck to them!**


	6. New Developments

**AN: Alright folks here we go! Chapter 6 is out for the viewing pleasure! As I said, I've been trying to get back into the swing of things, no my story hasnt been abandoned and yes I will continue to write...is too much fun and you guys would never forgive me! 3**

 **So here we are, edited by the fantastic DrummerMax, please enjoy!**

 **Chapter 6**

New Developments

The wolf sat at his desk, finishing up some paperwork of his last patient. It was a leisurely day and overall there had been few problems. His phone buzzed on the desk. He reached out and answered the call.

"This is Dr. Krakenhund."

The voice that came over sounded frantic. Judging by the sound of a revving engine in the background, they were in an ambulance. "We have a seriously wounded fox en-route to the hospital now. Massive injury to the right side of his head, likely a fracture, possible bleeding in the brain. ZPD officer as well!"

The wolf shot up and out of his seat as he started to move towards the emergency medical side of the facility. "Understood, what has Officer Wilde gotten himself into this time?"

"It's Officer Tommy Reynarks."

Krakenhund wasn't sure if he was relieved it wasn't Wilde or upset that a 20-year-old fox was his next critical patient.

"Understood. I will be in Emergency waiting for your arrival."

* * *

Nick, Judy and Wolford sat in the waiting room. Reynarks had been in surgery for five hours, and Wolford still hadn't sat down once, continuing to pace slowly about the room. Nick knew the wolf had been awake now for over 32 hours, and if he sat down, he would likely fall asleep. They knew exactly the stress the wolf was going through, they had both lived it before.

Dr. Krakenhund came into the room, thankfully without bloody scrubs on, with clipboard in paw. He stood there for a moment, looking at the animals before speaking, "Officer Tommy Reynarks is in stable condition. He had bleeding on the right side of his brain and severe swelling. We had to remove a piece of his skull in order to prevent further damage and repair what had been done. He has been moved to a recovery room and should be coming out of sedation soon. You may go back and visit with him."

They all started to follow the wolf to the room where the young fox was recovering. Krakenhund looked over at Wolford as they walked. "He may have some memory loss, that extends back quite a ways. Highly unusual for it to go back so far, but brain injuries are...complicated. I see no reason why he can't recover his memories with time. You will just have to be patient with it."

Wolford nodded in understanding as they reached and entered the room. There was a large bandage on the young officer's head, but other than that, he looked peaceful as he slumbered. Wolford pulled up a stool and sat next to the fox as Nick and Judy took the two armchairs in the corner of the room. Nick felt like he should say something. Anything.

He shifted uncomfortably as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Wolford...I shouldn't have been in there with BB. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't..."

Wolford didn't look up from his partner as he responded low, "No, you shouldn't have, but it's who you are. You did gain valuable information and it will help in the investigation. Tommy was just doing what he thought was best. Wrong place at the wrong time...that hit was meant for me." He sighed deeply before continuing, "These assassins are extreme. She broke the bloody cuffs that had her restrained to the table. Snapped the chain like it was clay. Earned herself a nasty gash from the cuff digging into her paw, but she didn't even notice it. Any information you got is worth it, Wilde. These animals need to be stopped."

The minutes ticked by and Wolford began to nod off while sitting on the stool. Tommy beginning to stir got his attention quickly. His ice blue eyes locked onto the fox as he struggled to shake the sleep from his eyelids. Finally, Reynarks' eyes opened to find the wolf looking at him with a small smile.

Wolford let out a relieved sigh. "Hey, kid, glad to see you awake."

The fox smiled back. "Thanks...my head feels like I was hit by a truck...What happened?"

Wolford's smile faded. "You took a punch that was meant for me. The one who delivered it was trained to be a paw-to-paw expert. You're lucky to be alive."

The fox nodded slowly as he examined the wolf's uniform. "You're ZPD? Did I find you in distress and stop to help?"

Wolford sat in silence for a moment as he looked downcast. "What's the last thing you remember, Tommy?"

He lay there for a minute, thinking. "I was on my way to apply for the ZPD. I had thought about it for three months after the missing mammals case was closed by Officer Hopps and a fox. I wanted to join because I saw another fox doing it and that I could make amends for what my father had done to an officer many years ago. I always wanted to meet Nick and Judy, and one other officer. I don't know if he still serves in the ZPD though."

Wolford nodded in understanding. "The partner of the officer that died because of your father?"

Reynarks nodded and Wolford let out a slow sigh. "Well, I need to tell you a few things. First off, you are no longer known as Tommy Reynarks. You are _Officer_ Reynarks, and you have been my partner for almost two years now."

The fox's eyes grew wide at hearing this, and a smile played across his snout. "I...I'm an officer?"

Wolford smiled. "You bet kid, a damn fine cop too."

The fox scrunched his nose as he thought to himself for a moment. "I don't know why, but your name does sound familiar. Being called officer sounded right too. Two years, you said?"

Wolford nodded and Reynarks pressed on, "I must know Officer Hopps then too...and Nick Wilde?"

Nick and Judy stood up and came to the bedside at hearing their names. They both smiled at the fox who was becoming excited. He held out his paw to them and they gladly took it. Nick smiled at Tommy. "Hey bud, I'm glad you were there to help me out with that suspect. Couldn't have done it without you!"

Reynarks giggled. "I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I have known you for a long time..." his voice trailed off as he looked over Nick's uniform. "Sleeves...I roll my sleeves too...I remember that. Staring in front of a mirror in the ZPD uniform...rolling my sleeves and putting on my tie."

Nick laughed. "You got the idea from me, Tommy. You were so stiff from your training the day I met you...I was in the bed though."

The younger fox nodded and looked over at Wolford. "Sergeant, I don't know how, but I promise I'll do everything I can to recover my memories and get back to work. Partners look out for one another, and I can't have you without your partner for long!"

Wolford nodded as he stood up. "I know you will, Reynarks. Right now though, you need some rest. Sleep well, we'll be back tomorrow morning."

The young fox nodded as his eyes slid closed, and with that, the three animals quietly left the room. Wolford still seemed distressed as they walked down the hall towards the exit. Judy couldn't leave him like that. "Did you hear what he called you, Wolford?"

The wolf looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow. "No, what'd he say?"

Judy smiled. "He called you Sergeant. He is already getting his memories back."

Wolford was silent for the drive back to the precinct, but he wore a faint smile the entire trip, likely thinking of how Reynarks called him Sergeant. Nick and Judy went right away to their office to sit and continue sifting through the case work. They still had no real tangible leads and it was starting to wear on Nick's nerves.

Nick stood up after an hour of poring over the work and began pacing the office. Judy looked to her distressed partner, concern written in her voice, "Nick, it's fine, we'll find something."

Nick threw his paws in the air as he responded, sounding exhausted, "No, Judy, we won't. This is just busy work! We're getting nowhere looking over these case files! Now we have Reynarks in the hospital because of me!"

She stood up and put herself in front of his pacing, speaking with a stern tone, "Stop right there, Slick! That's unfair to yourself and Tommy! He was there because he was doing what he thought was right, as were you! You gained quite a bit of information out of those two assassins and every little bit helps. Remember the missing mammals case? Or the Canals Incident? We're only three days into this investigation and the Canals Incident took over a week to find anything worth looking into!"

Nick sat down in his chair and rubbed his face with his paw. "I just...I want to get this done before anyone else ends up in the hospital."

Judy went over to him and took his paw away from his face to look into his eyes. "We'll figure it out, Nick. We always have."

Nick smiled at her. "Thanks, Carrots. Really, what would I do without you?"

A knock on the door stopped any further conversation as Bogo's massive bulk filled the doorway to their office.

He stood tall with a file in his hoof. He held it out to Judy. "These are the transcripts of your interrogations as well as the notes from the puma, BB." He paused for a moment as Judy took the papers before continuing, "I have other news. The jackal, M1K3, or Mike, is dead. He had a cell next to BB's and in the time while you were at the hospital, she managed to strangle him with her bed sheet through the bars of their cells before we could transfer them to prison. We found her lying on her bed with a smug look on her face. Witnesses say that he was telling her of his interrogation when she became heated. He got too close to her cell and that's when she got him. Anyway, keep me informed on this."

Bogo walked out and left the pair standing in silence. Nick opened the file to find the scribbling of the puma inside. He sat down at his desk as he shuffled through them. Judy stood next to him as he dug. "What are you looking for?"

Nick didn't stop as he responded, "The name of the second contract." After a few more moments of digging, he found it. "Ah-ha! Here we are. K3R454."

Judy nodded. "BB mentioned that she was a traitor." Judy thought for a minute. "What makes you think this has all been going on for a month?"

Nick turned to face her. "Remember the day we were heading out to the cabin? Calvin had just gotten a new roommate who was moving in. We don't have TV or radio at the cabin and Dad kept saying there was a lot in the news about us and the Canals Incident. Then we have suspicions about our neighbor as well. We didn't see an assassin until we were coming back, so the timeline somewhat fit together and I took a gamble. Worked too."

Judy looked at the scribble. "How does the number help us?"

Nick started to write on a small notepad. "Well, if you think back to M1K3's interrogation, he said most call him Mike." He drew the two examples on the paper for her to see as he continued, "See how the numbers represent the shape of a letter? Now, if we take K3R454 and do the same, we have this: Kerava. Because another way to write the number five is with a 'V'."

Judy's eyes widened. "I think it's time we have a chat with her. I'll get the cruiser around, tell Bogo we are going after a lead."

When they told Calvin, he insisted that he go as well. Bogo relented after much conversation and sent him along with John. Couldn't have him without his partner. The ride was very quiet as Calvin came to the realization he had been living with an assassin. They arrived at the house and Calvin unlocked the door as they went in. It was quiet; no sounds, no life inside. They swept the entire house for her, but she was already gone. Nick opened the door to Kerava's room to find it clean and tidy. Nothing out of place, no signs of struggle, but a single envelope on her bed drew his attention. It had nothing written on the outside. The others came in and joined him as he opened it.

Judy placed her paw on his arm. "What is it, Nick?"

He looked over at her. "Looks like we're going to the Canals District again. It's a receipt for Fox N' Hound Eatery."

Judy nodded as she pulled out her phone. "I'll call Bogo right now and let him know what we found."

She left the room as Calvin sat down on the bed, looking positively terrible. Nick looked to his friend, worried about what was going through his mind. "She hid it well, Cal, don't feel too bad about it."

The komodo dragon shook his head. "It's not that. I had an assassin living here that at any time could have killed you and Judy. I don't...I just can't let that go."

Nick put his paw on Calvin's shoulder. "If she wanted us dead, I'm sure we would already be dead. She left us a clue to her whereabouts. We'll find her, Cal, I'm sure she's fine."

"I should've noticed it when I was teaching her how to use a gun, it seemed so natural in her paw...she even asked where the safety was first. Only someone with experience or training thinks of that first."

Judy came back into the room as she hung up the phone. "Okay, Bogo gave us the go-ahead to chase this lead. He wants you and John to accompany us there as well."

Nick nodded. "How long do we have, Carrots?"

She looked at him with a smirk. "One week. Told us to take uniforms as well but progress as we please. He is setting up the hotel for us, Shady Palms again."

They all shared a laugh together at that. John smiled. "Well, I need to head home to pack a few things before we go. Mind if I steal the cruiser since you guys are already home?"

Judy laughed. "Sure John, go ahead. We'll start packing."

John nodded as he started to leave. "Alright, see you guys back here in one hour."

Nick and Judy turned to leave with him but Judy stopped at the door, turning back to Calvin. "Don't think too much on it, Cal...We'll find her. I'm sure she has her reasons...I think she has a good heart, it'll be okay."

He nodded and waved as she finally departed his house and headed for her own. Nick was standing outside, waving goodbye as the cruiser with John drove away. She came to his side and grabbed his paw before leaning on him. He looked down and put his other paw in his pocket with a smirk. "Back to the diner, huh, Carrots?"

She smiled. "Let's go get packed up."

* * *

John was completely silent the whole trip out to the canals. He sat staring out the window of the rented car, watching the street lamps as they went by.

Calvin took notice of his partner's distress as he navigated the streets and glanced over at him. "Hey, Blackhard...John?"

John whipped out of his daydream. "Huh? Yeah, what's up?"

Calvin shrugged. "Well, that's what I'm wondering, you alright partner?"

John sighed deeply. "Two years, Calvin...Two years since I've been back at this district...I miss him, you know? Only knew him for one night...he would've made a great cop."

Calvin laughed. "Oh Jack would have made a fantastic addition to the TUSK team, but I don't think he would have made a good beat cop. He was...a bit too forward."

John laughed but it quickly died down. "It looked like he simply sat down for a break. Never occurred to me that he had died sitting there after the warehouse had been secured."

Nick leaned forward from the back seat. "It's not your fault, John...it's how he wanted to go. He constantly refused medical attention."

John sighed as he settled more comfortably in his seat. "I know...it's just that he came into our lives, guns blazing...literally...and he left quietly and alone."

Nick leaned back into his seat as he responded, "I know, John...there were quite a few like that..."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Judy looked out her window as the district passed by. The nightlife had taken off in the two years since their intervention. A new boardwalk had gone up and almost constantly was filled with animals of all kinds, filling stores, bars, restaurants and import stores. Reptiles and mammals alike thronged the streets and sidewalks, and a few times, Calvin had to take detours to avoid large crowds. After much navigation, they finally pulled into the Shady Palms Inn. The place had a new coat of paint and a clean parking lot.

The group parked the car, gathered their bags and stepped into the hotel lobby. They were greeted by a lovely vixen at the counter who smiled at the four uniformed officers standing there. "Good evening, I assume you are the four from Precinct One?"

The lobby even had new carpet and clean walls; no longer a 3-star hotel, that was for sure. Calvin nodded with a smile. "Yes Ma'am. Should be two rooms, I believe?"

The vixen shuffled a few papers and got a confused look on her face. "Yes, two rooms here. No room for the lady? Or are you boys gonna snuggle?"

Calvin laughed along with John, who clapped Nick on the back. John responded to the vixen since Calvin was trying to keep his tongue from lolling out. "Oh no. Judy will share a room with her husband. Thankfully she can handle his snoring."

The vixen looked even more confused. She kept looking at the bunny and fox who put an arm around each other, smiled at her, held up their paws and spun their wedding rings with their thumb pads.

 **AN: And there we go, back to the canals district. Nice to see it doing so much better after the events of the first story yeah? Now that they're here, hopefully they can get to the bottom of this assassination conspiracy! Be warned dear readers...things are about to get...crazy!**

 **-Keft**

 ****DISCLAIMER**  
** **Zootopia is property of Disney and all cannon characters as well. The others are mine. Please do not use my story without crediting me, however my characters are free to be used if you wish, please just let me know to expect a cameo in your story so I can go read it! I make no money or profit from this fanfiction other than my own enjoyment from writing in this fantastic universe!**


	7. The Letter

**AN: Alright folks here we go. Back in the canals chasing a friend. This chapter's got a nice bit of fluff in it for ya. Because from this one...the road gets bumpy...a little...slightly...okay it gets rough! Enjoy the smooth sails while you can! ;-)**

 **Chapter 7**

The Letter

Nick folded their street clothes in the drawers as Judy hung their uniforms up in the closet. His thoughts were playing over all the memories this place had...not many of them were good. He smiled to himself though at remembering the morning he woke up to find Judy next to him. That was a very good memory to hold on to. The look on her face when she realized he was naked was priceless. He chuckled to himself as he recalled how she got him back; after all, he wasn't expecting that bunny to be as bold as she'd been in offering a rain check on the shower. Full frontal nudity was also not something he had expected to be presenting to her when he asked her to bring his clothes in. Full of surprises, that bunny.

Judy's voice recalled him, "I still can't get over that fox! Her expression was priceless!"

Nick laughed as he finished with the clothes. "Yeah no kidding, poor fox."

Nick walked over to Judy, who was looking over the uniforms in the closet with caring eyes. He came up behind her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. She took one of his paws, put it to her cheek and held it there for a moment.

She turned to him, violet eyes locking with his emerald ones. "I love you."

He smiled at her and winked. "Love you too, Fluff."

She paced the room a bit as she started to undress. "What do you think, Nick? I mean, about Kerava?"

Nick started to undress as well, a shower would feel nice after the long day they had. "Well, I really think if she had wanted us dead, then...well, we'd be dead already."

Judy finished with her pants and stood in the room down to her fur, deep in thought. "If she's running from the organization...I can't imagine how alone she must feel."

Nick finished getting undressed as well and sat down on the chair, massaging his legs, trying to push out the tingling sensation in them. "How so?"

Judy came over and sat on the floor in front of him. She took one of his feet in her paws and started to massage it as she continued, "Well, she's running from everything she knows. They didn't even give her a real name. She's had to pretend and fake everything. We don't know who she truly is."

Nick nodded. "I can see that. I've been alone like that, but I at least had a name, and a few...associates. I hope we can find her soon."

Judy switched to his other foot. "Maybe Robin and Doris know her? I mean, she's eaten there before, so how else would she get the receipt?"

Nick thought for a moment before responding, "Something has me bothered though."

She looked up at him. "What's that?"

"Why is she running? Did she fail a contract? How has she gotten any money to pay rent? She doesn't have a job as far as I know."

Judy got up and walked to the bathroom door. "I don't think she does...where did she get the money then?"

Nick stood up and shrugged. "Who knows? We'll have to ask her when we find her."

Judy nodded and went into the bathroom just as a knock sounded on the door. Nick looked through the peephole in the door and saw the fox receptionist standing outside. He unlocked the door and opened it a crack, carefully hiding his naked body behind the door.

"Good evening, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

She smiled at him. "You are Officer Nicholas Wilde, right?"

He nodded with his signature smirk. "The one and only."

She pulled out an envelope and held it out to him. "This was delivered earlier today. Odd, it has our address but no return."

Nick opened the door a bit more and took the envelope from her and examined it. The envelope only had the hotel address on it and his name in elegant writing on the front. Nick was confused. "Who delivered it?"

When Nick noticed she didn't immediately respond, he looked up at her to find the vixen's gaze downward, examining what she could see of him through the crack in the door. He inwardly smiled as he tapped his ring on the door and startled her out of her observations. "Oh, I'm sorry, you were saying?"

He smiled at her sarcastically. "Who delivered it?"

She shrugged. "It was in with the standard mail. Last delivery of the day."

He nodded and started to close the door. "Thank you, let me know if anything else comes for us."

She stopped him before he could close the door. "I wanted to ask you a personal question."

He stopped closing the door and waited for a moment as she pressed, "Are you really happy with just a bunny? Have you ever considered...someone of your own kind?"

Nick smiled at her sincerely. "Trust me, I couldn't possibly be happier. She is so much more than just a bunny. It's okay though, most animals make that mistake."

He closed the door. The last look on the vixen's face told Nick all he needed. He'd thought about being with a fox at some point in his life, but in the end, he contented himself on being alone. No one had ever truly understood who he really was, who he had always been. They only knew what they believed about foxes, and he had resigned himself to that fate long ago. Then along came a bunny of gray fur and violet eyes who hustled him. Oh, he tried to push her away, but she saw through that front of his. The cold cynicism of his life melted under her violet eyes and warm heart, always seeing who he truly was, not who he pretended to be. He knew for a fact that she was not just his wife, best friend, and partner: she was the _only_ one for him. Nick was truly, insanely, and unmistakably happy with her.

Nick walked into the bathroom, left the letter on the counter unopened and joined Judy in the shower.

She smiled at him. "Who was at the door, Slick?"

Nick took up a brush as he responded, "It was the receptionist. She brought us a letter that had been delivered earlier in the day, before we arrived."

Judy stopped what she was doing and cast him a smirk with one paw on her hip. "Nick...Did you answer the door naked?"

He put his paw to his chest and put on his best hurt tone, "Why, I had nothing else to cover myself with other than the door! Besides delivering the letter, she needed to know if I was truly happy with a simple bunny."

Judy cocked an eyebrow. "Simple bunny? What did you tell her?"

He knelt down in the shower to meet her at eye level as the water poured over his fur in rivers down his face. "I told her the truth, one that was two-fold,"

The smile never left her face as she responded, "Uh-huh...and?"

"One, she is far more than a simple bunny, most animals make that mistake with you. And two, that I could not be any happier."

She smiled wide and planted a quick kiss on him before returning to washing herself. Nick smiled as he continued to wash himself as well. A few minutes passed in silence as they finished up and shut the water off. Nick was drying himself as Judy examined the envelope on the counter.

She had a towel wrapped around her body and she held the envelope in her paw as her face fell and ears drooped. "Nick, she said it got here before we did?"

He stopped drying himself as he began to realize what that meant. "Yeah...thought that sounded a bit odd."

They stepped out into the bedroom in their towels and sat upon the bed as they opened the letter. Nick held it in his paws as he read the immaculate and elegant writing out loud.

"Nicholas P Wilde,

We are aware of your new place of residence for the next week and know you are tracking our second contract. One of our own, K3R454, has betrayed our organization and must be punished. She has evaded us well, but we think she may have formed a few attachments with some mammals. We believe you are one such attachment.

This brings us to our proposition for you: we have pulled back our assassins from your location for the time being. They will not harass you, nor your bunny, for the duration of this week. We are willing to refund the client or clients their money and cancel the contract on your life if you do one thing for us. All you have to do is deliver K3R454 to the docks by the end of the week. We have an assassin working there, and when he sees you with her, he will take it from there. She will disappear into the shadows as we will return to them as well. We will never again trouble you.

As for your fears of an assassin within the ZPD, I will offer you a bit of peace of mind to help you consider this choice. It is not all that difficult to tap the phones of the ZPD, so rest assured, there are no assassins within your police force.

My word is my contract, and my honor. Do this for us, and the contract will be canceled. If you choose unwisely, we will continue to hunt you and Judy Hopps until you embrace the shadows. Choose carefully, Nicholas P Wilde. Your lives depend on it.

-G.M.A."

Nick sighed deeply as he set the letter down on the bed and buried his face in his paws. Judy took the note in her paws and read through it herself. Her ears hung over her back as she read the words, still not wanting to believe them.

She looked back at her husband and choked on her words, "Nick...what do we do?"

Nick sat there for a moment before sighing deeply and looking over at his wife sitting on the bed next to him. "It's an interesting proposition for sure. Am I wrong to consider this?"

She looked downcast before she responded with a sharp look in her eyes, "No, we can't do it. No reason to sell one life for another."

Nick nodded. "Yeah. Well, one life for two, actually."

Judy took his paw in hers. "We agreed to sell our lives already. We're officers of Zootopia and any day, our lives could end so that others might be safe. Even if one is saved, even if it's an assassin, it's our duty."

Nick smiled. "I know, Carrots. Either way, we need to find that panther."

Judy lay down on her chest, pulling the pillow under her chin. "At least we have a week...if we believe this mystery note, anyway."

Nick reached over and started stroking her back. "What choice do we have at the moment? We'll keep our eyes open for anything suspicious."

Nick continued massaging her back, finding strained spots under her fur. He adjusted himself to better work them loose with both paws. "Uh, Judy, you're not tense or anything, are you?"

She groaned in pain as he found a particularly nasty knot. "Yeah...oh...nope, not at all...Ahh ouch, that's a good one!"

He kept working on them. "You okay?"

Her toes started to flex. "Oh...yep! It's a good pain!"

He sat there working her loose from all of the stress and worry pent up in her back and shoulders. Eventually, he felt her relaxing as the knots broke free. He lessened the pressure until he was back to a soothing rhythm of rubbing her back. He noticed her breathing change to a very deep, slow pace, so he lessened the pressure more to simply stroking her fur. Only then did he notice that she had actually fallen asleep under his caresses.

Nick stopped rubbing her and took up the note in his paw. It was an interesting offer, and Judy was right of course, but he saw it from a different view. If this organization would cancel a contract just to have Kerava...what information did she have? He knew from his nefarious business deals that canceling a contract of any kind was a serious black mark on your record, so he could only imagine the problems that could cause for a murder-for-hire type of organization like the one stalking them right now.

He stood up and paced the room slowly, thinking to himself. If they would mark themselves this badly, she must be incredibly valuable or have some seriously incriminating evidence. He had never heard of such an organization before they came for him. That thought had him shiver for a moment. How long have they operated, how many mysterious deaths or disappearances are because of them? Records was full of unsolved cases, long cold for the past 20 years at least, and they mention nothing of this organization that had seemingly endless resources.

He shrugged to himself and decided it would just be best to get some sleep and go looking tomorrow. He pulled off his towel and hung it up on the bathroom door to dry. Nick looked back at the bed where Judy lay sleeping, still half-wrapped up in her towel. He smiled to himself at that. She looked completely carefree when she slept, more so than she did while awake anyway. He carefully removed her towel, it helped that she was lying on the fold so he could do it without disturbing her; she hardly even stirred. After hanging it up in the bathroom on the towel rack, he unfolded the blankets and carefully scooped up his slumbering wife, taking care to lay her down in the bedding and cover her up. Once that was done, he plugged in his phone, got under the sheets, and turned off the lamp on the bedside table. He carefully snuggled up against Judy, rested his arm over her body, and let his eyelids slide close.

* * *

Judy opened her eyes to a dark room. Something wasn't quite right. She didn't move, but she let her wide eyes glance around the room, looking for any suspicious activity, strange shapes or hints of light. Nothing unusual that she could see, but still, something was off. Someone was in the room; she could almost smell them, like a fleeting scent on a breeze. She could almost hear breathing that didn't belong to her or her husband, who cradled her as she lay there paralyzed with fear. She didn't know what to do other than lie still, close her eyes tight and hope that she was just being paranoid. She kept her eyes shut for what seemed like hours, but was likely only minutes before a noise caused her eyes to shoot open. It was the sound of the door to their room closing. She sat up rigid, staring towards the door.

Her sudden movements woke Nick. "Judy, what's wrong?" he whispered to her.

She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she responded, "I think someone was in here."

The light flicked on and Nick hopped out of bed, reaching for his handgun on the bedside table. He suddenly stopped as he was reaching for it. Horror flooded his body, fur standing on end, nerve endings burning. "Judy..."

She looked over to find what he was looking at, and immediately regretted it. Nick's handgun was always loaded and ready just in case, but someone had removed the magazine and unloaded every round out of it and set them standing straight up on their primers in a perfect line. Judy looked over at her handgun on her side of the bed and found it just like Nick's: unloaded, rounds on their primers in a perfect line. They didn't move a muscle, but simply stared. Someone had been in the room and unloaded their handguns while they slept.

Nick took the loose rounds in his paw and started loading his magazine. "Are you hurt?"

She sat still on the bed, solid as rock. "I'm terrified, Nick."

Each round clicked into place as Nick kept reloading. "Yeah...I know how you feel."

She turned to her husband just as he finished. "Nick, we've survived four assassins already and lived next to one. One just visited us here in our room and we never knew it until the last possible moment."

Nick racked the slide to his handgun as he stood up and moved to the door. Judy continued, "The others used surprise to get to us...this one was different...Nick, this one could have killed us in our sleep and we would've never been able to prevent it."

Nick opened the door and cautiously looked down the hallway in both directions, looking for any signs of movement. He didn't see anything, but he had to make sure. He came back into the bedroom and threw on a pair of sweatpants, neglecting to put on a shirt, before heading back to the door. He stopped with his paw on the knob. "Judy, lock the door behind me as I leave, I'm going to check the area."

"Uh-huh."

He looked down to find her already dressed in her own set of night clothes with her gun in hand and inserting a new magazine.

He laughed despite their situation. "HA! God I love you."

She smirked at him. "Eyes on the target, Slick."

Nick's eyes narrowed as he went back to business. A silent nod and they opened the door. Judy went down the hall towards the emergency exit as Nick headed to the main desk. His heart pounded in his chest heavily as he came to the receptionist desk to find no one seated behind it. He leaned over the desk and his eyes widened as he found the vixen receptionist lying on the floor unconscious, blood leaking from her nose.

Nick stood up and yelled down the hall, "Judy, over here!"

Judy's footsteps came padding down the hall in a hurry as he landed on the other side of the counter to check on the receptionist; she leaped onto the table in one fluid motion and looked over the counter. Her eyes widened upon seeing the wounded fox. "I'll call Precinct 9 and get some paramedics!"

The vixen moaned in pain; her head throbbed, and her nose felt like she walked right into a moving truck. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor, looking up at a shirtless fox who was kneeling beside her and yelling for help. There was a rabbit on the counter using her phone. Her eyes came into focus on the fox checking her over, her gaze roaming over the scars across his chest, ears and head. Nick Wilde, that cop from Precinct 1. What happened?

Nick looked down at her. "Miss, did you see who did this to you?"

The vixen searched her memory. "Dark...fur, all black clothes, eyes like ice."

 **AN: Oh boy...somebody paid our heroes a visit...and boy were they stealthy! Not unsettling at all was it? Nooo no of course not! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to getting the next one out for you soon! Hope I continue to fulfill expectations and give you enough twists and turns in the plot to make google maps confused!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. ANY SIMILARITIES FROM MY STORY TO ANY OTHER STORY IS COINCIDENCE AND UNINTENTIONAL. CHARACTERS I HAVE CREATED ARE FREE TO BE USED BY ANYONE WHO WISHES TO ADDED TO THEIR STORIES AND USED. JUST LET ME KNOW SO I CAN SEE THEM IN ACTION!**

 **ALL CHARACTERS IN ZOOTOPIA BELONG TO DISNEY AND I OWN NOTHING. I MAKE NO MONEY FROM THIS OTHER THAN MY ENJOYMENT OF WRITING IT.**


	8. Painful Past

**AN: Keeping it short here! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and be sure to give some much needed love to my fantastic editor DrummerMax and go read some of his awesome work too! Now we get to see how the vixen is doing and...we go somewhere our duo never wanted to go again...enjoy!**

 **Chapter 8**

Painful Past

Nick sagged against a wall in the lobby and slid to the floor. He was exhausted from the night as red and blue lights flashed through the entrance windows. Several cops from Precinct 9 had shown up and secured the area quickly and effectively, which was a pleasant surprise to him since quite a few of the officers at the precinct had less than two years of experience on the force. He laid his head against the wall and let his eyes close. A few moments passed, and he became aware that someone was standing before him. He opened his eyes and found a pair of clawed, reptilian feet. He let his eyes travel up the uniform and recognized an old friend standing before him.

Nick quickly stood up and smiled at her. "Sergeant Clawhan! Great to see you again!"

She smiled at him. "Wild night?"

Nick laughed at her joke as she gave him a solid hug. "I've missed you, Nick."

Nick hugged her back. "Yeah, I missed you too. Been too long."

She broke the embrace and glanced down at his chest. "You healed well."

Nick looked himself over. "I look like an abstract piece."

She kept smiling at him. "Reptiles find scars attractive."

"So does his wife!"

Sierra Clawhan turned around at the sound of the voice. "Judy! Oh, is the rest of the team here too?"

Judy smiled as she hugged the green tree monitor tightly. "Just John and Calvin. I think they're calling Chief Bogo right now in their room."

Sierra nodded. Judy still found it odd how a reptile's head bobbed as they nodded. "Well, we'll get this all squared away and get you back to bed."

Judy smiled at her old friend. "Thanks Sierra, we appreciate it."

The monitor nodded again and went off to get a statement from any possible witnesses. Judy went up to Nick, who was looking fatigued. "Hey Slick, you got the room key?"

Nick looked down at her. "Nope."

Shawna Redmane sat in the back of an ambulance as a paramedic checked her for a concussion. She had her eyes focused on the bunny and fox sitting in the lobby of her hotel. The shirtless fox was looking at the rabbit, and when he said something to her, the bunny's ears drooped down. Something was wrong and she needed to find out.

She turned to the paramedic checking her. "Can I go back to the lobby real quick?"

The gazelle paramedic put her penlight away. "Sure, I see no serious injuries. Do what you need to do, but I recommend a few days of rest."

Shawna got up and started heading towards the lobby, keeping her eyes locked on the fox. She stopped for a moment as she got a better look at his scars. Last time she saw them, she was barely conscious. Now alert, she looked him over. He was more muscular than most foxes, likely due to all the training and work in the ZPD. His chest was crisscrossed with scars that radiated out from two pockmarks in his chest a few inches apart from each other. His ear was missing a chunk, and from this distance, she saw a scar on the back of his head. The bunny gave him a hug, and it was at that point Shawna realized what they truly meant to one another. She felt foolish for having questioned their unique relationship and felt she needed to do whatever she could to help. She gulped deeply and marched into the hotel lobby.

Shawna stood an arm's length away from them and steadied her nerves. "Is there something wrong, Officers?"

They looked at her with some surprise on their faces, the rabbit having some concern in her violet eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" Judy asked.

Shawna nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, but something has you both troubled. Tell me."

Judy giggled. "Oh, well in our hurry to check the area, we accidentally left our key in our room. Locked out."

The vixen smiled. "Oh that's no problem, let me get the master for you."

The pair followed her to the main desk. Shawna opened a drawer and pulled out the key she was looking for. "Alright, let's get you back to your room."

Shawna got to the room, unlocked the door and held it open for the pair as they stepped inside. She felt a lump in her throat. "Um...would it be alright if I spoke to you for a moment?"

Judy smiled. "Sure, come on in."

The vixen stood just on the inside and let the door close behind her. She looked miserable as she wrung her paws in nervousness. "I...I wanted to apologize...to both of you. I'm sorry I questioned your relationship, it was wrong of me to do such a thing. I didn't realize how deep your relationship truly was until just lately...I'm just so sorry. Two in the morning is probably a bad time for this, but I had to say something. I never thought the stories of you two were true...all the things you guys survived. I didn't realize how bad it was until...I saw your scars."

Nick had sat on the bed as he listened to Shawna's explanation. "Oh, we both came out pretty messed up. Judy has a nice few, too."

Shawna looked over at Judy with wide eyes. "Really?"

Judy had a smirk on her face. "Yeah, I have these. This one's from the bomb in the city, and the big one is from a bullet." She pulled up her shirt and tugged down the pant leg on her left side, exposing the crisscrossed scars on her hip that ran halfway down her leg and up into her side, almost to her ribs.

The vixen knelt down and examined the scars closely with wonder. "I understand completely now. The things you went through together must have been horrific. I can't imagine the pain these injuries inflicted."

Judy gave a faint smile. "It was the hardest night of my life...maybe it was the situation we were in, but I knew that I couldn't live my life without him."

Shawna looked like she wanted to touch Judy's scars, but caught herself as a tear rolled off her snout. She stood up and put on a weak smile. "Anyway, sorry to keep you awake. If you need anything at all, please let me know. Have a good night."

Nick and Judy watched the vixen leave the room and listened as she walked down the hall.

Judy looked over at Nick with a smirk. "Well that was unexpected."

Nick crawled under the covers of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Judy smiled and crawled in next to him. Before she could get comfortable, Nick jumped out of bed, walked over to the door and locked the deadbolt in place. He nodded and returned to her beneath the warm covers. He didn't turn out the lights at first; instead, he checked to make sure his pistol was loaded, safety on, and then he slid it under his pillow. Judy gave him a bewildered look.

Nick smiled and shrugged. "Let's see her get it while it's under my head."

The lights went out and she felt his arms go around her. Judy thought for a moment. "Nick...you think that was Kerava? The mammal the receptionist described?"

"I don't really know, Carrots. The description was pretty close."

She sighed, not wanting to hear that. She had to admit that the description was fairly accurate, but the receptionist couldn't tell if the attacker was a male or female. Tomorrow would hopefully bring some answers. Breakfast at the diner would be a good way to start the week. Together, they let sleep finally take them away.

* * *

The group of four walked along the sidewalk on the way to the diner. They all wore their uniforms this morning and made quite the sight. A short rabbit, a fox taller than her, almost twice as tall if not for her ears, a wolf that towered over them both, and a komodo dragon that was even taller than the wolf. They were chatting about the unusual night they had and tried to piece everything together. John and Calvin informed their two smaller companions that Chief Bogo was glad they were okay, and would have the phones checked out for any bugs. He also had informed Precinct 9 of what was going on. They were all happy to help in any way they could with the investigation.

The diner was now seeing better days, new paint and a new sign adorning its features. Cars lined the street, and a glance inside found all sorts of animals enjoying their breakfast. The group stepped inside, the bell over the door jingling as they did so.

A water monitor member of the staff approached them. "Good morning, Officers. Four?"

Nick nodded for them. "Could we sit at the breakfast bar though?"

She smiled down at him. "Of course you can, Officer. Have a seat and someone will be with you shortly."

The monitor made her way behind the counter as the four sat down, grabbing menus that were in holders on the counter. The monitor called to the back, "Doris, you got four officers at the counter! Must be new in the district, I don't recognize them."

Nick smiled and called out, "We'll have the usual, Doris!"

"Nick?!"

The albino fox poked her head out of the door to the back, and as her eyes locked on the group, they grew wide as a smile played across her muzzle. "Oh by the white of my fur!"

She came rushing out and gave them all a hearty hug. "Oh I've missed you guys so much! I've been so busy I haven't had the chance to come visit you in the city!" She went up to John and stopped for a moment. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry but I don't think we've met!"

John smiled and extended his paw. "Hello Ma'am, I'm Officer John Blackhard, Calvin's partner."

Doris smiled. "Well, I'm a hugger, so..." The fox left him standing there with his paw out and feeling pretty silly as she moved past it and gave him a hug too.

She broke the embrace, went back to the other side of the counter and took out her book. "Alright, what can we get started for you all?"

"Usual for myself and Nick," Calvin said.

"Carrot soup and a grilled cheese," Judy chirped.

"I'll have what Cal's having," John said.

Doris smiled and nodded. "Coming right up." She turned to leave, and as she opened the door to the back she shouted, "Robin! Nick, Judy and Cal are here along with a newcomer!"

The four chuckled to themselves. There was a little commotion in the back before the male fox came out. He had regained his health and looked healthy. Granted, it had been almost two years since any of them had seen him, so it was plenty of time for him to recover lost weight after the night howler toxin left him so emaciated.

Robin stopped at the counter with a toothy grin. "Ah, there he his! My hero and his entourage!" He raised his voice a bit and looked over his establishment. "Ladies and gentlemammals! Here are the saviors of our district and my life! Give 'em a round of applause, will ya?"

The dining customers were not shy with their applause; it erupted in a way that fit a rock concert rather than a diner. The four officers turned in their chairs, smiled and waved at the crowd until the clapping died down. That took a full minute before they finally continued with their meals.

The officers turned back to find the fox grinning at Nick. "Seriously, Nick, I will never be able to thank you enough for paying for that antidote and getting me out of there. I'm not sure how much longer I could've handled being locked inside my own mind like that. As you can see, I got all my muscle mass back! It's carting all the dishes around that does it!"

Nick smiled at him. "You look much better, Rob, but I gotta question for ya. Have you seen a panther? She has jet black fur, name's Kerava?"

Robin smiled and turned to the register behind the counter. "Yes, and she said you might be coming by. She left something for you." He pulled out a set of keys, unlocked the register and produced a small envelope. After closing the register, he handed it to Nick. "She's been coming here quite regularly over the last month; sweet thing she is."

Nick took the envelope and saw his name in cursive on the front. He used a butter knife to open the top and remove the single sheet of paper. When he opened it, he found a single line in the same elegant writing. 'Meet me where this all began.'

Nick looked over at Judy, who had been crowding him with the other two officers reading it as well. He was a bit confused. "Does she mean Highway Five? That's where we first encountered the assassins."

John chimed in, "Then why would she leave us that receipt for this place? Why this district?"

Calvin nodded. "Unless this whole thing is indeed connected to the Canals Incident. If that's the case, then this all started when that incident ended."

They stared at Nick. The realization was a painful one as he muttered, "The Warehouse."

* * *

The breakfast was mostly silent after the realization of their next destination. None of them had any good memories of that place; they all left a part of themselves there with those they had lost. They pulled into the loading area outside and took a good look at the decrepit location. Windows had been boarded up and biohazard signs warned off curious mammals. The city now owned the building, and it had since been condemned because of the night howler production that had taken place. They stepped out of the car and began to walk the grounds, looking around for a way in. One door had been fussed with, the hazard tape pulled away, and the lock for the door lay broken on the ground.

Nick pushed open the door and stepped inside. The crates that had been there two years ago were long gone, and bullet holes were easily spotted in the walls of the building. Nick felt a lump forming in his throat as he walked towards the stairs to the office on the second floor, observing faint chalk lines on the floor from the forensics team marking out body positions. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up them as his eyes began to sting. When he looked down at his wife, he noticed the fur on her face was wet, her ears drooped over her back. John and Calvin sat down against the wall near the old car where they had been two years ago. John put his arm around his partner as they remained seated, mournfully remembering that night.

Nick inhaled deeply and began to climb the stairs, Judy taking his paw in hers. They felt their steps getting harder, breaths shorter, eyes blurring. This was not a place they ever wanted to return to, but they needed answers. Nick put his paw on the door to the office and opened it slowly. The lights were on, and right there in the middle of the floor, he saw them. A pair of holes that were a slightly different color than the surrounding concrete, no doubt permanently stained from his own blood.

Judy slumped to the floor and lost control over her emotions, sobbing heavily. Nick sat on the floor next to her and pulled her into his chest. "Listen to my heart, Judy. I'm here with you."

She threw her arms around him, buried herself in his chest and let the tears flow freely. Between sobs, she spoke through a shaky voice, "I...I don't want to be here! This place...I watched you die! In my arms!"

Nick felt his eyes water up, tears rolling down his face as well. "Carrots, I saw you get shot. I had never felt such...rage. I knew I loved you, but seeing you like that...being powerless to stop it. I wanted to...I... _needed to..._ " he swallowed hard as he knew what words were coming, "Kill...Delgato."

She didn't respond with anything but sobs as he continued, "He got his in the end, and we survived."

He pulled her up from his chest and took a deep breath, looking into her eyes. "Hey...we survived...we beat him...We proved to the world what kind of animals we really are. Look at this district, Judy, how it has come back, the lives that have been restored!"

"And that is why the world still needs you two."

Nick and Judy looked to the corner of the room, and around a stack of crates emerged the panther. She wore a leather form-fitting outfit with pouches on a belt slung across her chest. There was a dagger attached to her thigh and a pistol on her hip...with a suppressor attached.

She slowly approached them with her paws up, though Nick and Judy made no movements or even attempted to stand. "I would never take your lives. I have seen who you are, and the world needs animals like you in it...not animals like me."

Kerava Darkfur came over and knelt down on the floor in front of the pair as she continued, "I need your help. I have information, and want what you have...a life to live."

Nick looked her straight in the eyes and was about to say something about the visit she had paid them last night, but stopped before he could get one sentence out. Her eyes were golden.

Kerava noticed his hesitation and her eyes narrowed. "They came to you last night...didn't they?" She sighed under her breath before muttering, "Cowards." She looked the pair right in their faces. "We are called the Shadow Cult. We are born into it, raised from birth to be nothing more than tools, and brainwashed by our Grand Master to do his bidding for a few words of praise. The cult is ageless and the current Grand Master is easily over 100 years old. They don't like us being free thinkers, so that's why there is a contract out for me as well. That, and I'm willing to bring them down if possible."

Nick felt his jaw hanging open. This was seriously strange and sounded like a bad spy movie. He felt he could trust her though, oddly enough.

She had already spilled so much, but he needed to know something. "Why? Why us?"

The panther crossed her legs and sat down on the floor. "I had a new contract. The target was very suspicious of everyone and it would take time to make it clean. So, they gave me a large sum of money, identification, birth certificate, education history, diplomas, and even references. The money was so I could buy a house near the target and be the new neighbor. However, I lost my focus on that target. I had been applying for a job at my target's business. I remember looking out the window at a police cruiser that had pulled up. I wondered if the police were onto me. The officer got out and started for a diner across the street when the mailbox outside exploded. I knew I made a mistake by not flinching, everyone saw that, but it's what I saw that had me unnerved. The officer was a rabbit, her small body thrown into the back window of her own cruiser."

Kerava took a deep breath as she remembered the day. "I felt something that day. For whatever reason, I stood up and walked over to the shattered door to the insurance business I was in as her partner opened the door to the cruiser and cradled her broken body in the back of the car. I felt a strong desire to do something. I needed to help, but I couldn't help the police; not while I was an assassin. I started towards the diner to help out there, but I stopped. I heard your words, Nick...I heard you begging for help over the radio."

She was looking like she wanted to cry. "I felt many things I had never felt. So I ran. I went back to my house, only once I got there did I discover tears on my face. I had never cried before, and in the dark of my home those tears came flowing. I didn't know what to do, or what it meant, but it felt good and terrifying all at the same time. I found myself glued to the TV, watching every report on the two officers involved."

She started to massage her paw. "I continued to work for my target, we even became friends and played cards often. Two weeks passed and I saw you had both been seriously wounded in the Canals Incident. I worried with the city over your health, even sent flowers to the hospital for you. I found myself invested in your lives as much as I had with my target. That was a hard two months, but I was there at the commemoration and memorial for the fallen, your speech, the adoption of Vira. I went home and wept again, different this time. I wasn't hurting, just happy. I had become so ingrained in this new life I had made. I had to get out and get back to the master, I had to kill my target. Opportunity after opportunity came along, each better and easier than the last. Fishing trips, camping, hiking, amusement park trips for him and his team. He often invited me over for dinner, and I became aware that he had serious feelings for me. He was a handsome spotted panther, but he was my target. Never could bring myself to do it. I told him that I could no longer work for him due to a family emergency in a neighboring city, that I would never see him again and quit my job. That was three days before my time limit on the contract was over."

Kerava smiled as Calvin and John darkened the doorway, Calvin's face becoming one of shock. She kept her smirk as she continued, "I found someone looking for a roommate that could tolerate heat and moved in with a komodo dragon. That was a good day for me, even though I knew of the storm that would be coming for me. This was the start of a true life, one where I didn't have a target looming over my head. Then I met my new neighbors. I was for the first time in my life...truly happy."

She stood up as a few tears streamed down her face and she sobbed quietly. "Nick...Judy...Calvin...I need you in my life; I've always needed you, not the Shadow Cult...Help me take them down!"

"I'm sorry, what did you say his name was?"

Kerava sighed at Nick's question. "Grand Master Anubis. Like I said, he's old, easily over 100. Withered old wolf...I think he's a wolf anyway."

Nick didn't bother hiding his confusion, "You think?"

Kerava started pacing the room. "Well, the fur on his face is all but gone and instead covered with burns. Most of his lips are gone, and his fangs protrude from his mouth. Ears are either fake or altered to stand on end like a wolf's, but they never move. No emotion can be gained by watching his ears. Then there are his eyes, one iris is red like fire, the other is milky and blind. So in short, I think he might be a wolf."

Judy stood up and stopped Kerava from pacing. "How does the Cult receive contracts?"

She looked down at Judy, golden eyes fixed. "There is an old badger. Blind as could be, too. People hear that he is the go-between for contracts. Then someone comes to pick up all the new contracts that are left with him. He's no assassin, but since he is blind, it made him the perfect go-between for this. I don't know how it was done before him."

Now Nick stood up and paced for a moment with his paw around his chin, eyes searching through the floor for something deeper than what they saw. He blinked a few times and looked at Kerava. "What if I asked to meet him?"

All the animals in the room openly stared at him. He held up his paws. "Hear me out here; in his note to us, he mentioned that his word is his contract, his honor. If I asked to meet him, he should oblige me, right?"

Kerava shook her head. "There is no precedent for that. I've never heard of a target meeting with the Master, and I doubt he will change that now. Even we assassins only ever glimpse him on occasions. The only time, and I do mean _only_ time, we get to have personal contact with him of any kind is on the completion of a contract. Then he's obligated to meet with the one who completed it."

Nick stood in place as his ears drooped a bit, deep in thought. "Rava, do you know where that badger lives? Could you give me his address?" He held out his phone to the panther.

She nodded and took the phone, entering the badger's address in it. "I don't see how he can help you though...what are you thinking?"

Nick got his phone back and smirked at her. "I think I have a plan. Go to the diner at 5pm. I will have a package waiting for you with further instructions there. Then at 11pm, meet me at the docks."

She looked confused and a bit skeptical. Nick shrugged to her and gave her his smirk. "Trust me, Rava."

He turned to walk out of the warehouse office, scrolling through his phone. The rest said their goodbyes and caught up with Nick, leaving Kerava in the warehouse alone.

Judy was at his side and asked the question that was on all of the officer's minds, "What are you going to do, Slick?"

They reached the bottom of the stairs as he found the contact in his phone he had been looking for. "Easy, Carrots, I'm going to do the only thing I can do in this situation."

That wasn't the answer she needed. As they stepped outside, she stood in front of him, halting his progress. "Okay, and what's that? We need to know."

He looked down at her and his ears fell, eyes filled with determination. "I'm going to kill Kerava Darkfur."

 **AN: Oh dear...that last line from Nick. What will the team think of this? How are they going to react and is this really the only way? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **Travel well -Keft**


	9. You're going to do what?

**AN: The longer wait on this one was actually my fault as my life got a tad busy. DrummerMax has been a fantastic editor for me and I greatly appreciate his assistance. Dont forget to go share the love with his work as well! Also, If we have fans of AngloFalcon, go bother birb gently about his story too! Thank you all so much for following the story and now...now we see what Nick has in his head to solve this!**

 **Chapter 9**

You're Going to Do What?

Judy took a few steps away as he ears fell back and eyes went wide. "No...No, Nick, you can't! She's our friend, Cal's roommate!"

Calvin walked over and stood next to Judy. "She's right, Nick, there must be some other way. We can't just kill her."

Nick looked to the ground for a moment, eyes watering. "The only way anyone meets Anubis is if they complete a contract. If I complete that contract, he is obligated to grant me an audience. If they know she is dead, I can meet him, get all the information I can, and then we bring the ZPD down on them with everything we have! It will save hundreds of lives in the future when there is no Cult running around making animals disappear!"

John came to stand next to him. "I think he's right...as morbid as this is...a Zootopia without the Shadow Cult would be better for everyone."

Judy took steps back as Calvin walked towards the car in a huff. Judy slowly walked away from her husband, shaking her head. "What of Kerava, Nick? She's like a kit, experiencing life for the first time! You're going to steal that away from her?"

He took a single step forward but stopped when he saw Judy flinch. He sighed deeply as silent tears rolled down his face. "We have no choice, Judy! Please...just trust me on this."

She shook her head as her paw gripped the handle of the car door, tears of her own running. "I would trust you if I knew who you were anymore." She opened the door, and as she was getting in she looked at him, with fiery determination of her own. "If you are not back at the hotel to explain yourself by 10pm, I'll do everything in my power to stop you. This is _not_ the fox I married."

John and Nick stood watching the car drive away, leaving them at the warehouse. John leaned over to Nick, "Please tell me there is more to this plan. Honestly, it doesn't sit right with me either. You have me worried, Nick."

Nick only sighed deeply, feeling the pain in his heart for all he was about to put his wife through. Would she ever forgive him? "I need to call Bogo."

* * *

Nick stood at the entrance of the docks and checked his watch. 21:55. His fur was beginning to itch with anticipation as he waited. Finally, a common-looking car drove up and the driver side window slid down, revealing a large cape buffalo. He held out a wide package to Nick.

Nick took it in his paws and looked up at his chief. "Loaded and ready?"

Chief Bogo nodded. "Everything is set. We will come in 5 minutes after the shot is fired along with Precinct 9."

Bogo sighed heavily as he continued, "Wilde, I'm sorry about this all...you and Hopps, I mean."

Nick looked down as he responded, "It's the only way, Chief. You know how she is...I just hope this works."

"I have faith in you, Wilde...and Hopps. It will work out. You'll see."

The window went back up and the car drove away, leaving Nick standing alone again. The skies rumbled with an approaching storm as he began to walk to the office at the docks. His mind raced, and his heart throbbed painfully in his chest. He hoped they were watching, that they would see this. Then he would go and drop a note with the badger requesting an audience with Anubis. Bogo had arranged for a tracker to be placed in the care of one gecko officer who would conceal herself among Nick's clothing and infiltrate the Shadow Cult.

Hopefully, she would be able to gather all the useful information she could and the ZPD would converge on them, trapping all of them and ending this insanity once and for all.

Nick got to the ladder of the office building that would lead him to the tin roof and took the rifle out of the bag. Memories flooded back to the first time he held it in his paws, that first night when so many died. He checked the magazine, the new barrel-mounted laser system and the scope. All was in place, except him. With that thought, he slung the rifle on his back and climbed up to the roof.

He settled into position with his coat bundled up under his rifle, providing a stable platform to rest it upon. He was no trained sniper, but he was willing to wait for the next two hours for the panther to show up. He clicked the safety off and back on to make sure it was functioning properly, and sighted down the scope towards the only way into the docks not blocked by a fence. He scanned the area, looking for anything suspicious. Nothing really of interest. There were a few animals close to the pier coiling lines, laughing and joking boisterously, not realizing that there was a rifle trained on them as they went about their night. Metallic pings reverberated through the tin roof as rain drops began to strike the surface.

"Great...can this get much worse?" he muttered to himself quietly.

He looked around for what seemed like hours and found some of the animals of the docks still continuing to work. They were the night shift, usually working until midnight; he hoped one of them was the contact Anubis mentioned. For this to work, that assassin would need to see this.

Movement caught his eye. Nick swiveled his rifle to find Judy walking through the gate to the docks.

His heart dropped. "No, Judy. Damn it!" He sighed deeply as the rain fell even harder, soaking him through. "Your going to make this...nearly impossible to bear."

He glanced at his watch on his off paw: 22:57. Kerava should be showing up any minute now. Nick clicked off the safety on his rifle and spoke softly to himself, "I will not let her words tonight color our relationship for the rest of our lives...she simply doesn't know...and it needs to stay that way."

* * *

The rain came down in sheets now. Judy took refuge in an open cargo container, close to the entrance so she could see Kerava coming. She felt empty inside. Nick hadn't showed up to explain anything and she had spent the last few hours sobbing in bed. She was losing her fox...no, she had lost her fox, unless she could stop him tonight. This could be fixed as long as someone didn't have to die. If their relationship had a death tied to it like this, she could never hope to fix it. She just wouldn't be able to handle it. She looked down as she realized she had been fiddling with the ring on her paw. New tears stung her eyes as she remembered that day. That fox. She sat in that container and cried all over again, alone. She had lost it all...she had lost him.

A sound at the gate brought her out of her sobs. She heard a faint whisper. "Hello? Who's there?"

Judy wiped her eyes and stepped out into the rain to find Kerava standing in front of her. The panther's golden eyes widened at seeing her. "Judy?! What are you doing here?!"

She stepped towards the panther. "I can't let him do it, Rava! You have to run! Nick plans to kill you!"

The panther sighed and stood tall. She looked the bunny right in the eyes with a faint smirk. "I know, Judy...I'm sorry."

Blood suddenly exploded from the panther's chest, clothes tearing out from the impact. She flinched once, and then the shot rang out and echoed over the sound of rain. Judy's eyes widened in horror as she watched the panther slump to her knees, still smiling, though it had started to fade. Her chest again burst out a new gout of blood from right over her heart, and the sound of the shot rang out after again. The panther didn't flinch with this one; she simply crumpled to the cold ground. Judy stood motionless, staring at the body.

With a jolt, she ran over to Kerava's side and cradled her limp form in her paws, rocking back and forth, breathing in short, uncontrolled gulps. She looked into Kerava's face and found her golden eyes, unfocused and half-lidded. Her eyes slowly rolled upwards and came to rest. Judy could feel nothing from her, no breathing, no warmth. The rain continued to wash the world away as her tears flowed heavily. Her mind raced, but to nowhere in particular. It just played over again and again in her mind: that first dreadful impact, the slumping, the sounds. She sat there holding Kerava's body, screaming out in anguish, until she became aware of someone standing behind her. She looked over to find Nick standing in the rain and soaked to the bone. His ears were flat against the back of his head, eyes dull with agony and sadness. No smirk, no charm, not her fox. She carefully laid Kerava back down on the ground before standing up to face Nick.

He didn't look at her. He looked past her at the body on the ground, unfocused eyes brimming with tears. Judy couldn't explain it, but her anger built up to the point of rage. She had to let it out somehow, words failed to come but her paw came up and connected with Nick's face alongside his muzzle. He didn't flinch, didn't attempt to move out of the way or change his expression. He simply stood there and took the hit, never moving his eyes off the panther. Rage built up again, and she struck him again, harder. She began to hit him over and over again until her paws were closed into fists. Nick never moved or flinched once. Judy slowed her strikes but the anger didn't subside. She pulled the wedding ring off her paw and tossed it into his chest, immediately following with another punch to his snout as the ring chimed against the concrete at their feet. She found herself suddenly being pulled away from him. When she looked at who was doing the pulling, she found Sierra Clawhan taking her by the arm away from Nick. She was aware that police cruisers had shown up and police were pouring into the area, all from Precinct 9.

Judy was brought to an ambulance that was deserted by the paramedics, who were frantically trying to save the panther. Sierra sat her down on the bench seat and looked her in the eyes. "That's quite enough from you, Officer Hopps."

Judy had a hard time controlling her breathing, let alone her words, "Enough?! He just murdered her! My..." she felt herself getting sick, "my...husband _murdered_ her!"

The monitor looked her dead in the eye. "That's for us to figure out. Right now, all I saw was assault on another officer...have you looked at your paws?"

Judy looked down at her paws and found them covered in blood. None of it was hers, and she became aware that they not only hurt, but throbbed. She looked back at Nick, who was still staring at the body as they loaded her onto a stretcher and draped a sheet over her. There was an officer speaking with him, and he just nodded absently as he stared at the spot where the body was a moment ago. Even from this distance and in the dim light of the dock work lamps, Judy could see the blood on his face, the cuts from her claws, and the bruising that was already forming under his russet fur. He slowly bent down and scooped up the wedding ring she had discarded, and clenched his paw around it. Judy didn't know what to feel. She was so angry, seething with white-hot rage. Along with that, now there was guilt.

She felt sick, and her head spun. Empty; there was nothing to feel other than numbness. She could only stare blankly with heavy eyelids as the covered body was put in the back of the ambulance. Judy heard a few officers speaking outside, but couldn't tell what they were saying over the sound of the rain. The doors to the ambulance closed, and she turned to look out the windows at Nick. He still hadn't moved from where he stood, but he was now looking at her. His eyes locked with hers as the ambulance started and was put into drive.

* * *

Nick watched the ambulance that carried his wife drive away, ring clenched in paw, eyes locked on her until it turned down a street out of his view. The officer that had been speaking with him stepped away as a paramedic came over to him and clicked on his penlight to look over his face. The coyote looked over his injuries with an analytical eye.

"Officer Wilde, we need to get these cleaned up, a few of these could use a stitch or two."

Nick didn't move as he responded low, "Leave them...I deserve them all."

The coyote looked like he wanted to argue, but the look in the fox's eyes made him swallow his arguments and walk away, leaving Nick alone. The officers around him were interviewing witnesses and taking statements. Nick looked up into the sky, feeling the rain beat down on his face. All he could think about was the look on Judy's face. The anger, the pain. She had struck him with such force that he felt his jaw ache. He could taste blood in his mouth from a chipped tooth and busted lip. Her wedding ring had caught him under his right eye and left a gash that throbbed painfully. She had discarded that ring...his heart plummeted, as it felt so very heavy in his paw.

Nick inhaled deeply and roared out in anguish, "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!" Finally spent, he collapsed to his knees and doubled over as his stomach relinquished its contents to the cold, wet ground. He wretched over and over until nothing remained but dry heaving.

John stood over the weeping fox, pity written in his face. He knelt down and put his paw on Nick's back. "Come on, Wilde, let's get out of this rain. I found us a place to stay."

Nick sat up and looked at the wolf, wiping his snout clean of the remnants of his lunch. "Thanks, John, but I have somewhere I need to be."

The wolf nodded and helped Nick to his feet. Together, they left the docks, and the pain.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the badger's house with the address Kerava had provided in the warehouse. Nick only hoped that the animal was still awake. John drove away, leaving Nick on his own in front of the small house. It was poorly maintained, no grass to be found but rather just mud for the front, and paint peeled freely from the siding of the house. Nick walked up to the door and stood under the overhang, shaking the rain from his fur. He reached out and pounded on the door. A few moments passed, and when he heard nothing, he pounded again.

"Hang on a sec! Jeez!"

Nick felt his clothes shift and he whispered under his breath, "You all set, Officer Padclaw?"

The tiny gecko hidden under his shirt reported back, "All set, Officer Wilde. It'll be worth it."

Nick nodded. "I hope so."

Another few moments passed before the gecko spoke again, "Officer Wilde?"

"Hm?"

There was a pause from her. "I really admire you. This is the latest example of the kind of officer you really are...you're a hero to us, you know?"

Nick chuckled to himself softly. "I don't feel like a hero," he admitted.

The door opened to reveal a very old-looking badger. He wore an old, stained tank-top shirt and held a cane in his claw. "What? Who is it?"

Nick smiled. "Good evening, sir. I believe we have a mutual friend."

The badger nodded. "Oh, one of you again. Look, just hand me the note and they will come for it later."

Nick put the envelope in the badger's paw. "I'm requesting a meeting, how will they know where I am?"

That got the badger's attention, causing him to freeze. "A meeting? That's a new one for me...well, if that's the case, then they already know you're here. Don't be surprised when they come get you. Have a nice night."

Nick stopped the badger. "I thought you were blind? How did you know it's night?"

The badger laughed. "You brain-addled, boy? You said good evening." The badger turned and closed the door, chuckling to himself, "Young pup, ha."

Nick stood there for a moment, staring at the door. "Yup, my brain is fried. I've had enough of this."

He turned to walk away, and stopped dead in his tracks. Standing on the small path to the house was a panther, fur black as night...eyes like ice. When he spoke, it sent shivers down Nick's spine and made his fur stand on end.

"Officer Wilde, our Grand Master would like to see you."

* * *

Judy sat in the back of the ambulance as it sped through traffic on its way to the county morgue. She simply stared out the back window as the rain left streaks in the glass and filled her view with mist. Still empty, all she could do was wish to cry, to feel something. She turned her attention to the paramedic in the back with her, who had pounded her paw on the side of the ambulance. A moment later, the lights in the back went out.

In the darkness, Judy heard a voice, one that shouldn't be. "Is it clear?"

The paramedic responded, "It's clear."

Kerava, the dead panther, sat up on the gurney and pulled off the sheet. Judy didn't know what to think. Her eyes widened as the light from outside glinted off the panther's golden eyes, the discarded sheet falling to the floor.

Judy didn't have long to adjust to any of this as the once dead panther came over and grabbed her paws. "Listen Judy, we won't have much time to talk during the switches, so pay attention. This was all a hoax to get an audience with Anubis, but it had to be believable. The Shadow Cult has full records on every target and knows exactly how someone should react in any given situation. So it was imperative that you were kept in the dark on this operation. I'm so sorry about that, it was so hard to deceive you like that, but it had to be done."

Judy simply stared, eyes still wide. "H-how? I saw you get shot! You weren't breathing!"

The panther smiled. "Movie props. Squib vest tied to detonate from the laser mounted to the barrel of Nick's rifle. The laser fired when he shot his blanks, which triggered my vest. As for the breathing, I'm an assassin, Judy. We've been trained quite well, I assure you."

Judy's horror grew as she looked at her paws, covered in Nick's blood. "I...I think I broke his teeth. I-I threw my wedding ring at him! What's happening?"

Kerava started to lie back on the gurney as the nurse got the sheet ready to cover her up again. She lay with one elbow propping her up as she spoke, "When we get to the morgue garage, there will be a quick switch just in case we are being watched. Records will say I was cremated on arrival, but I will climb into the trunk of a cruiser and head back to the ZPD station to await word from Nick and his infiltration expert."

Judy's mind went racing back to the docks. How hard she hit her husband, the rage she felt, all so he could make this work without killing anyone. He knew her far too well. He knew that she would never hit him, not while she knew it was all a ploy; it needed to be real anger. He risked his whole life and his marriage to save someone...a neighbor, a new friend, another life. Tears filled her eyes as she came to terms with what kind of cop he really was, sacrificing his happiness so that others could live a life they had never known. How could he be so selfless? It made her hurt all the more, knowing the things that ran through her mind at that moment. She wasn't just hitting him. She had wanted to _hurt_ him...badly.

Her thoughts suddenly leveled out as one question came to her mind. One that made her nerves burn and her eyes water. "Where's Nick?" Judy asked. She knew she wouldn't like the answer the second she uttered it, already knowing the response.

Kerava spoke from under the sheet that had just been placed back over her, "Meeting Anubis."

 **AN: Oh dear...oh no oh no...Judy...Nick... This was something that he felt he had to do...as he said, they know their targets well and would know something was wrong if the reactions didn't fall into their personality. He had...no choice. What of their marriage? What will become of our inseprable pair? Whats going to happen to Nick...meeting the cult? Find out in the next chapter...but for now...wait.**

 **Travel well - Keft**


	10. The Shadow Cult

**Chapter 10**

The Shadow Cult

Nick sat on the floor of a presumably dirty van, cuffed and hooded. He could smell the panther, and the driver had to be a ram. Nick didn't resist when the panther came up to him, and even held out his paws to be cuffed. That panther had been firm, but he did not mistreat him in any way.

Nick felt as though he knew this panther's scent. "So, next time you want to visit, you can always knock."

The panther chuckled in good humor. "I will remember that for next time. Did I at least impress?"

Nick nodded from under the hood. "Oh yes, most impressive. Got our fur standing at attention, that's for sure."

There was a moment of silence before the panther spoke again, "Yeah...I was ordered to do that visit. A message had to be reinforced. You had to know the gravity of your situation. We did not expect _you_ to fulfill the contract...I must say, this is a first, and none of us really know how to react to it."

Nick shrugged. "I didn't know what else to do. It wasn't an easy choice...I think I've lost everything but my own life."

The panther sounded uncomfortable at that. "Well...let's leave that for the Grand Master to decide. Like I said, this has never happened before."

The van came to a stop and the side door opened. Nick felt a few paws grab his arms and help guide him out. Once on his own feet, one paw rested on his shoulder and they all began to walk across a concrete floor. The echo made Nick think he was in some sort of parking structure or underground. They all stopped for a moment as he heard the chime of an elevator, and together they stepped in, the paw never leaving his shoulder. The elevator smelled quite pleasant and the floor was carpeted. They were going down on the smooth, silent ride. After a few moments it slowed to a stop, a chime signalling that the door opened. Nick was maneuvered until he felt something wooden against the back of his legs and, with a commanded word, he sat down upon the bench.

A new voice spoke, "Wait here for a time, until the Cult is informed of your arrival." The new voice shifted to another animal in the area. "R43, please make sure our guest doesn't run off."

The female voice responded from a further part of the room, "Of course."

The masculine voice returned to him, "You don't need this anymore."

Nick's hood was removed, eyes assaulted by the light of the room. After a brief moment, he saw a massive lion standing in front of him, wearing black combat clothing with a smile on his snout.

The lion winked at him. "Stay out of trouble. We'll only be gone for a few moments to further process you."

The lion left him alone in the room with the one other animal. She was a bobcat working a receptionist desk of sorts a short distance away. The room's walls were painted red with lovely gold filigree figures painted in along with it. Benches rested on either side of the rectangular room flanked by small shrubs.

This was the moment. Nick cleared his throat as he shifted on the bench, the sign for Officer Padclaw to take up a hiding position somewhere inside the building. He restrained his giggle as her claws scampered over his fur and out his collar. She winked at him once before taking refuge in the small shrub next to him. Nick glanced at the bobcat, who was called R43, to find her eyes still locked on her own desk. Luck was on their side, as the move happened without notice. Nick breathed a sigh of relief.

A few moments passed before the door behind the desk opened and the panther returned.

The panther stood in front of him with his paws reaching out to Nick's arms. "Alright, now we go finish processing you. Come with me, please."

Nick followed as he was instructed to the room the panther had just come out of. It was fairly small and had a single bench in the center of the room with a small set of robes folded on it. The panther waited until Nick was in the room before closing the doors quietly.

He turned to Nick and started to remove his cuffs as he spoke, "In order to proceed any further, it will be necessary to divest you of all your belongings. I know this may be unusual, but it is a must. Please remove your police uniform and leave it here on the bench. It will be thoroughly searched, cleaned and returned to you upon your departure."

Nick nodded as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "Believe it or not, this is not as awkward as some situations I have found myself in."

The panther chuckled as he eyed him. "Judging by those scars, I would say so."

Nick laughed as he moved to his trousers. "Well, those have a different story, one far more depressing."

The panther nodded and stood up straight. "I understand. I will not continue the questioning any further if you are uncomfortable with it."

That got Nick to stop for a moment with his ears up in surprise. "Strange..." He continued to dress in the robes.

The panther cocked his head to the side slightly. "What is?"

Nick drew the robes over his shoulders and began to tie the fabric belt around his waist as he responded. "So far, no one here is what I expected."

The panther walked over to the opposite door with a smile as he opened it. "We are assassins, Officer Wilde, not assholes."

Nick wanted to say something witty, and maybe a little antagonistic, but all words failed him when his eyes fell upon the room that had just been opened to him. It was longer than it was wide, five massive columns went from floor to ceiling on either side of the room and the floor was carpeted in bright red velvet. Walls were painted red and gold with massive banners flowing between the columns that had a golden stylized wolf's head upon them. In the center of the room stood a massive fountain. Perched atop it was a wolf figure wearing some sort of ancient armor, holding a dagger in one paw and a rolled scroll in the other. From the top of that scroll came the water that bubbled up and trickled over the figure and back into the pool at its feet with a pleasing dripping sound. Assassins of all races silently padded around, wearing the same robes that Nick now wore, colored red with white highlights. Around the fountain, there were four benches arranged in the cardinal directions where some animals lounged, reading books and conversing with each other quietly. When his eyes shifted to his right, he found the wall was composed of endless bookshelves filled with tomes, some looking ancient. One thing Nick noticed about all of the assassins was that they walked on their toe pads, giving their limbs a primitive look but allowing them to glide around with seemingly silent, fluid steps.

The panther came up next to Nick and smiled. "My name is JB007, however you may call me James. For now, we must meet the Head Mistress of our Cult, then we feast. Follow, please."

Nick followed James, but his eyes continued to wander around the beautiful building. On their way to the center of the room, Nick was able to see three doors on the left wall, two single doors on either side of the wall and one set of double doors in the center. Nick was so side-tracked he almost bumped into James, but he had put his paw out to gain Nick's attention and let him know they had stopped. Nick looked to James, who knelt to one knee and bowed his head to a feline on one of the benches around the fountain.

When he spoke it was filled with reverence, "Honored Mistress, upon the orders of Grand Master Anubis, I have brought an outsider to you for judgment. May I present to you Officer Nicholas P Wilde, our target whom is here under the protection of the Grand Master?"

The feline stood slowly from the bench and put her paw upon the panther's shoulder. "Judgment will be rendered. You have my thanks, JB007. You may continue your duties while I begin the trial."

Nick couldn't believe the feline's grace and beauty. She stood taller than himself but only by a few inches. She had fur russet like his own, along with black ears tufted with wisps of fur. If Nick could imagine a fox as a feline, she was what it would look like. He had heard of caracals but had never gotten to meet one. They were exceptionally rare and chose to live their lives in seclusion. Thought of possessing extreme intelligence and swift agility, they rarely graced others with their presence. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she approached him.

She gave him a smirk as one ear turned outward. "Hello Officer Wilde, will you walk with me for a moment?"

Nick could only nod as her paw beckoned him to her side. They started to pad softly around the room as she spoke. "This is a first for us. Quite unusual to be sure...how do you feel right now, Officer Wilde?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to think of all this...I've had a bit of a rough night."

The feline nodded. "That is understandable. I must ask you though, why did you choose this path rather than just allowing our assassin to carry out the contract?"

Nick thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking, "Judy wouldn't go along with the idea of turning her over. She would have prevented it with her last breath, and I knew the only way either of us could truly be safe is if I did as I did. Even then, she tried to stop me...it cost me everything."

She nodded in understanding as they approached the double doors he had seen earlier. She stopped short of opening them and put her paw on his shoulder. "I understand your sacrifice, it was very noble and honorable of you. We grieve with your loss."

Nick looked her in the eye and burned with curiosity. "Why?"

She sighed. "Well, most of our contracts are for very unsavory targets, usually gang members putting high-level hits on opposing gangs. Don't get me wrong, we have had some contracts on perfectly normal animals, but they always pain us for the feeling of anguish left in the wake of events. Those we try to make look like accidents and allow them to pass as painlessly as possible. This was...an unexpected turn of events, and its outcome was not one of our doing, yet we feel the responsibility of what has transpired. That is why we grieve for your marriage."

She pushed open the double doors, revealing a large dining area with several tables. They all had plates and utensils lined out at each chair. A komodo dragon, dressed in those same robes, walked around with a pitcher of water, filling the glasses at each table. The caracal motioned Nick to a rectangle table on a small platform and walked him to a seat near the center that faced into the massive room. She took her seat next to him at the very center and folded her paws in her lap.

Nick sat for a few moments, alone in his thoughts, when the crash of a gong sounded throughout the building. Moments passed, then the doors opened as many animals of all types started to file into the room and take seats. Predators, prey and reptiles alike all sat among each other at the tables. There were an additional two seats to Nick's left and three on the other side of the Head Mistress. They were empty for a time until a new group of five animals walked in together. One of them, a species Nick had never seen before, took up a seat right next to him.

She was quite beautiful in her own way. She had to weigh half his own weight, but she wasn't much smaller than himself. She stood upright and proud upon her seat, with stunning plumage that was white and had golden brown centers to each feather. Her beak was sharp, black as night, eyes of an almost greenish blue hue. Those eyes were piercing when combined with her sharp brow and swept lines. Her chest and neck were of white feathers, wings of mocha brown. Her red robes parted to allow her wings freedom and came back together around her talons.

She turned to face him, and her plumage fluffed up slightly at seeing his gaze. "You must be the outsider? Judging by your expression, you have never seen an avian before?"

Nick could only shake his head in response, though his ears were laid back with astonishment. She turned up the corners of her beak in a smile.

"Well, I'm a Philippine Eagle hailing from the nation of Avainia. Few know of its existence, as we mostly keep to ourselves as avians. My name is Vikamae."

"Nick Wilde," he greeted, extending his paw to her.

She shifted and held out one of her talons to him. He only hesitated for a moment before taking it in his paw and shook. There was a chime as the Mistress tapped a knife against her water glass, causing all murmuring to stop as all eyes fell upon the table he had been seated at. He felt his paws start to sweat, looking over the crowd and knowing them all for what they were: assassins.

The feline stood and gestured widely to the attentive eyes of the room as she spoke, "Our traditions, our ways, are all closely guarded, and for the first time in our long history, that silence is broken. We have with us a contract, and yet he is much more than numbers on a page tonight. He is an outsider, and the first living contract to be sealed away in our vaults, never again to be hunted by the Shadows. Officer Nicholas Wilde was offered a deal: deliver K3R454 to the docks and go free. He took it one step further and assassinated the contract himself, bringing a close to our strife. Officer Wilde had caused our animals much strife with the number of assassins he has dispatched. Two were killed by his paw and that of his wife. Two were captured, and one more assassinated. He has dispatched more of our assassins than any other contract in our long history. The first toast of the night belongs to him. His skills at survival are a testament to his abilities to avoid, shoot, and kill."

All of the assassins held up their glasses, and Nick quickly followed suit, holding his own up high as the caracal turned to him. "Nicholas Wilde. Long life to you. May the shadows forever conceal, dagger always strike true, and moon guide your steps home."

"Shadows Guide True," the room echoed in unison. They all drank and continued to hold their drinks in paw and claw for another toast.

The Head Mistress smiled at him, still standing. "Nick, you actually sit in the seat normally reserved for the assassin who has completed a contract. This is the seat of honor for those who passed the test. Tonight, it was _you_ who passed that test. So we honor you, and more will pass to you tonight. Our master will meet with you after our meal, only the most accomplished ever get that chance. So we honor you. Your time throughout life may have seen you become a police officer, but tonight, just this once, you are one of us. The shadow elite, the moon's companions. For tonight, you have earned your name. Henceforth, you are known to us as Shadowpad."

She then turned to the rest of the room, holding her glass high. "May your hunts be fruitful, may the years be plentiful, and may the shadows guide you. To Shadowpad!"

"Shadows embrace!" the room echoed once again as they all drank from their glasses.

The Head Mistress sat down and waved her paws at the two standing in the back. They nodded to her and opened the doors leading to the kitchen. A long line of animals poured out, each carrying a platter of food that was placed before each seated assassin. Once all plates had been set down, and the servers gone, the caracal waved her paw and all began to eat. The room filled with a pleasant chatter as they all shared their stories of the day with one another. Nick sat unsure of what he felt at that moment. These animals were so kind, polite, and seemed genuine for the most part. His troubled thoughts continued to plague his mind as he silently ate his meal.

The russet caracal noticed his silence and leaned over to him. "The name I was given was Silentfall. Our names are gifted to us during particularly dangerous contracts. M1K3 never got his, and neither did BB097. It is an honor to receive one, and shows all others your strength and merit. You should be proud."

Nick put his fork down and looked up at her. "I'm honored, true, but I'm also conflicted. In the end, I'm still an officer of the ZPD. How does that factor in all of this?"

She smiled at him. "We have taken precautions, have we not? You were not allowed to wear your uniform in our inner sanctum, they have been swept for anything that might lead anyone to us, and you have no idea where we are. You will be returned to the outside world in the same way. Completely ignorant of us other than your memories."

Nick nodded and looked back at the crowd who had mostly finished their meals. One by one, they came up to the table and paid their respects to Silentfall before turning to Nick and congratulating him warmly. They all said things along the lines of, "It's an honor to greet you as a brother, Shadowpad," and, "Shadows embrace you, Shadowpad."

The one thing that always remained constant was that they called him by his new name, never using his real one. After most of the animals had left the room, Silentfall stood up and extended her paw to him. "It's time, Shadowpad. Now you meet our Grand Master."

Nick gulped silently and walked with her back out into the massive room with the fountain. She guided him to a set of double doors in the back. On either side stood a pair of wolves. They didn't move at all, and Nick was beginning to question if they were even real. On closer inspection though, he could see them breathing.

Silentfall turned to him with seriousness. "Now, remember to be respectful. Answer his questions truthfully, for he can smell a lie. Also, relax. He is not as hard as his exterior."

The wolves at the door turned in unison as the closest two opened the door, perfectly timed with each other. Nick took timid steps into the room as the door behind him closed. He was alone with the master. The throne he sat upon had bright backlighting, casting a distinct silhouette of the sharp ears and shape of a wolf. Nick took a few more steps forward as the back lights began to dim. At the same time, lights from above began to glow, casting light on the surrounding environment.

There upon a golden throne sat one of the most disturbing sights Nick had ever laid eyes upon. Flowing white robes covered the mammal's muscular, furless frame. His face was likewise devoid of fur, instead being covered with scar tissue that was likely caused by burns. His nose was gone, leaving only a jagged hole, and most of his lips had been seared away, leaving fangs that protruded out, gleaming white. His right eye burned red with fiery passion and determination while the left was dulled over with a cataract. The ears of the wolf had indeed been shaped, but it was likely done after whatever caused the burns. They came to razor-like points and stood straight up.

Slowly, and with more grace than Nick could have ever guessed possible from one as old as he was, the Grand Master stood up from his throne. He took the steps down towards the fox, each one flowing like water over the rocks of a stream, and for a moment, it almost seemed like he was simply hovering down. Nick couldn't get over his stature. Taller than even the mayor, shoulders wide enough to land a jet on, he carved an imposing figure over Nick. He was a true giant among wolves.

Once he was within arm's reach, he smiled down at Nick, scarred lips pulling back into what passed as a smile for one so disfigured. He spoke with a deep voice that sounded as though he gargled glass his whole life, and for whatever reason, it bled power.

"Greetings, Shadowpad. I am Grand Master Anubis of the Shadow Cult. We have a few things to discuss."


	11. The Proposition

**AN: Missed the notes on the last chapter! Sorry about that, I was in a hurry and didnt want to leave you all hanging! So now here we get to meet...Grandmaster Anubis...good luck Nick!**

 **Chapter 11**

The Proposition

Nick shifted uncomfortably while being looked down upon by the massive animal. He had to be a wolf with how large he was, and yet his overall size was more than Nick could have ever expected. Not to mention the fluidity of his motions. Everything about this mammal exuded pure power and wisdom. Nick had unconsciously taken a few steps back and allowed his ears to fall at seeing the massive animal approach.

Anubis quirked his head slightly at seeing Nick's hesitation. "Relax, Shadowpad, I am not going to kill you. Quite the opposite actually. Please walk with me."

Nick obeyed and walked in silence as Anubis looked down at him with that same unsettling grin and continued speaking, "So Shadowpad, what do you think of the Shadow Cult? Feel free to speak your mind, you are an honored guest here and your thoughts mean a great deal to me."

Nick still hadn't fully recovered from his shock at seeing the Grand Master in all his disfigured glory and kept his ears back in unsettled discomfort as he spoke.

"Well...it's not what I had imagined...everyone here has been so kind to me despite trying to kill me over the past week."

Anubis chuckled and waved his paw at a wall behind his massive throne. "Here are the sealed targets of our Cult. Each one contracted by an outsider, pursued by one of my children, and dispatched with haste. At the completion of each contract, they are sealed in this great throne room."

Nick observed the walls carefully and found that there were numerous cylindrical capsules set into the walls with a small door on their rounded faces so only that door protruded from the wall. Each one had a small golden plate with the name of the contract inscribed upon it. Nick also noticed a small section of these cylinders were painted gold and, on either side of them, rested wolf skulls. His eyes lingered on them as his body began to heat up with fear.

Anubis noticed his gaze and sighed. "Long ago, there were three Grand Masters, each one being elected to that position by the rest of the Cult on merit of achievement. I was the third elected as the process takes time, in some cases years. Well, I wanted a return to more traditional values, they did not. They attempted to kill me in my sleep, but I slayed them both as they attacked. One used chemicals to try and blind me. This is how I ended up looking as I do now. But, the details matter not; I lived, they did not. We returned to our traditional beliefs without any trouble and a new edict was made. Only one can be Grand Master at a time."

Nick looked up at the wolf, finally tearing his eyes away from the hanging skulls. "What are the edicts of the Shadow Cult?"

The massive wolf laughed and sat down upon the steps to his throne, beckoning Nick to sit with him. He obeyed as the wolf spoke, "Well, there are many edicts, but we have a few that guide our actions and we hold most sacred. First: Spill not the blood of those not contracted. Basically, do not kill anyone but your target under any circumstance. Not even in defense of yourself. We have extensive non-lethal training for that as well. It's mostly to avoid unwanted attention from the law. Second: Make not your own target. This keeps us from creating our own contracts as a way to legalize assassinating a Grand Master by way of another or creating an easy contract for one's self to quickly rise in status. Third: A contract is your honor. This means that if you are contracted, you may not allow someone to buy their way out of it or likewise sell it to another organization. Fourth: Do not interfere with another assassin in the act of carrying out a contract. When a contract goes out, many assassins are dispatched and they can go about it as they please. Some work together, but all will respect each other and steer clear if they know one is about to make an attempt. Lastly: Treat all contracts with due respect. We have no ill will towards the character of the target, and respect all as living beings despite being hired to end that life. Do those...make a bit of sense to you?"

Nick nodded slowly as he became more comfortable with the wolf. "Yes, that explains quite a bit actually. When JB007 came into my room two nights ago, he knocked out the receptionist at the hotel...nothing serious, but it was a precise blow that rendered her unconscious. However, BB097 severely wounded one of our officers...we almost lost him."

The wolf nodded seriously. "BB097 will be dealt with for that transgression. It has already been ordered. She will not be around much longer...How is Tommy Reynarks, by the way?"

Nick shrugged, choosing not to be surprised that they knew his name. "Well, he lost a good portion of his memories, but we hope he will recover them soon...he's a good cop."

The wolf nodded. "Yes...we sent flowers to his room and mother hoping for a speedy recovery."

Nick scratched at his neck line. His stitches still hadn't been removed yet. "How does one contract the Shadow Cult anyway? That has been the one thing I still can't figure out."

The massive lupine stood up and walked to a box on a stand sitting next to his throne and pulled out a massive piece of parchment. He handed it to Nick. "These are sent out to the animals that meet our contact in the Canals District."

The writing was elegant cursive and framed in ornamental black edging. Nick read it to himself:

'This contract binds the Shadow Cult to the relentless pursuit and assassination of _. It is our word and honor that this animal becomes the sole mission of our organization, and by writing that name, you are consigning them to certain death. Be mindful of what you ask of us, as it will not haunt our hearts and minds but may cause irreparable damage to yours.

Make your offer _

For a secondary target, know that _ will suffer the same fate as the first, but understand, this target will be treated as a secondary. If the second is not taken with the first, the contract will be sealed and your offer on the second refunded. Multiple primary targets require multiple contracts and will be conducted accordingly.

Make your offer for the secondary _

Understand, we leave no trace of deeds, and this may result in long wait times of no more than three years. If you have a specific manner in which you want the targets to die, you must specify below. Payment will be made first before the contract is considered binding.

Shadows conceal, daggers strike true.

G.M.A.'

Nick handed the parchment back to Anubis and stood up, pacing the room slowly as he thought to himself. He stopped in front of the throne and looked back at the wolf, who had placed the parchment back in the box.

"Grand Master Anubis...why do you tell me all of this?"

He turned to another box and pulled out a rolled parchment like the one he was just holding. However, this one was tied with a red ribbon. "This is why."

He untied the ribbon and opened it up so Nick could see his own contract. His name was filled in the primary blank space, and Judy's filled the secondary. Under offers, Nick's life was worth 500k, while Judy's, as the secondary, was 250k. Nick couldn't help himself from laughing.

Anubis narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

Nick held up his paws. "I thought I'd be worth more."

That actually provoked a laugh from the wolf. "Yes...well, this is why I share this information with you. Tonight, we seal this contract in our vault. When a contract is sealed, it is because that animal is dead, and therefore, there is no reason to hunt any further. You are the first one whose contract did not end in your death, and you even completed another contract for us. Since there was no edict for such a thing, we had no way of disposing a canceled contract. This is the only way to put one away once it is written. So, both you and Judy Hopps go into our vaults, never to be hunted again by our organization."

The wolf took Nick by the arm and walked him over to a small cylinder in the wall. The golden plate had his and Judy's names inscribed upon it. Anubis opened the small door and slid the contract inside the tube. He closed the door and, with his claws pressed in small holes marking the outside of the door, twisted his paw. Nick heard a ratcheting sound as the small vault was locked in place.

The wolf looked down at him with a toothy grin. "The honors are not yet done, Shadowpad. There is but one last task to complete."

He held out one last contract. When Nick looked inside, he was surprised to find the paper completely black. The border had the same outline, but now it was white. A completely inverted image, and all the writing within was white as well. The name on the contract was K3R454.

Nick looked up at the wolf with confusion clear in his eyes. Anubis nodded and spoke with seriousness, "It's called a Black Letter. When one of our own goes rogue, or fails so gravely, we use these. We cannot make our own contracts, not even the Grand Master, so we had no choice but to create this. The Cult must cast a vote to have one of our own assassinated and invoke the Black Letter. Assassins who go rogue typically disappear and are hunted for many years. Never before has an outsider completed a Black Letter, and for that, you will forever have our thanks. It is now your honor to seal it in the Black Vaults...Follow."

Nick held the scroll in both paws as he followed the Grand Master to a section of the room, one that was painted black. Only a few of the cylinders had plates mounted, and Anubis motioned to the one that had Kerava's designation etched upon it. Anubis opened it and waved his paw at the open door.

Nick smiled inwardly at thinking of the panther. His thoughts were completely carefree, and happiness filled his heart as he slid the parchment inside the tube. He closed the door and inserted his claws into the holes as he had seen Anubis do earlier. He looked to the wolf, who gave him an approving nod.

With that, Nick looked back at the door and thought to himself, _Enjoy your new life, Kerava. Live it well...May the Shadows forever conceal, dagger always strike true...and moon guide your steps...home._ He twisted his paw, feeling the ratchets lock in place, forever sealing her Black Letter away from the Shadow Cult.

Anubis turned away and began to walk back to his throne. Nick felt as though his meeting was drawing to an end, but an idea struck him. "Grand Master Anubis, may I ask who put out the contract on my life?"

Anubis turned around, placed a paw on his chest and responded in a false hurt tone, "Why, Shadowpad, we have already received a black mark on our reputation by not fulfilling this contract. Surely you cannot expect us to reveal to you that one angry iguana who hired us? The one crime boss whose weapons stores were cleaned out by your crusading bunch without any compensation? We could never do that to Lenny Thorneridge. Oh how terrible it would be if we did such a thing." Anubis smiled and sat down upon his throne.

Nick balled his paws and walked over to the first box that held blank contracts. He pulled out a sheet and approached the throne. "You wouldn't happen to have a pen, would you?"

Anubis motioned to the small table at his side with a smirk. "Are you sure about this, Shadowpad? Murder isn't cheap."

Nick wrote carefully the name Lenny Thorneridge as a primary and filled in his offering. Once finished, Nick held the paper out to Anubis, who took it with somewhat of an amused look on his disfigured face.

As Anubis took it, Nick glanced down at the contract sitting on his table. The name shocked him for a moment, and he tried to look as calm as he could...that handwriting was familiar as well. He pretended he hadn't noticed it.

Anubis looked over the contract, his eyes widening at the amount. He looked to Nick with astonishment. "One million? You have that kind of money?"

Nick exuded his usual charm. "Grand Master, I thought you knew everything about your targets? I hustled the streets for two decades making two hundred bucks a day every day. I never really did find anything to spend it on and kept it all in a safety deposit box. So yes, a million."

The massive wolf smiled and set the contract down on the table next to him. "Well, you have my interest. Any stipulations for this contract?"

Nick put his paw to his chin in deep thought for a moment. "Have you informed Lenny that the contract was canceled?"

Anubis shook his head. "No, we bring the client here any time money is to be refunded. We've also been more or less preoccupied with _your_ endeavors."

Nick smiled as a plan formed in his head. "Bring him here in one week. I want to be here...in this very room as it happens. I want him to see me, to see the tables turn on him."

Anubis chuckled. "I have to ask this, Shadowpad. Why do you want to do this? If anyone gets wind of this, you will lose everything."

Nick stiffened, feeling the weight of everything suddenly crash down on him. He tried not to let his stinging eyes turn to tears as he spoke in a low tone, "My wife...hates me, and the ZPD will be looking into the death of K3R454 as a murder simply because she held no weapon."

Anubis rested his head upon a balled fist supported by his elbow on the arm of his throne. "She _was_ a weapon," he corrected.

Nick inhaled deeply. "Yes, but that's how the law classifies it. In short, that iguana cost me everything...all I have left to lose is money...I've lost everything else that matters to me."

Anubis leaned forward in his throne as he spoke, "You may have lost it all, but you gained a friend in us, Shadowpad. One week from today, we will collect you and fulfill your contract here. Bring your offering as well. For now, I must send you on your way. Moonlight guide you, Shadowpad."

Nick nodded and walked towards the doors into the room that opened up as he approached. In the doorway, he found Silentfall waiting for him, looking somewhat nervous. She was wringing her paws together, but once she noticed him, she quickly stopped and smiled as the doors closed behind him. "How did it go?"

Nick smiled at her as they padded across the room towards the exit. "He is a very polite animal. Even took my contract and let me seal up K3R454's in the Black Vault."

Her head swung over in his direction, astonishment clearly written on her face. "He let you seal away her Black Letter?!"

Nick looked at her and sounded confused as well, "Is that unusual?"

Silentfall let out an impressed whistle as they reached the doors. "Well, yes! He always seals our contracts no matter who they are for. You must have made quite the impression on Grand Master Anubis if he let you do it!"

She opened the doors and motioned him inside. He obliged her and found his uniform folded neatly on the bench, cleaned and pressed, just as they said it would be done. She joined him in the room and took his robes as he began to dress in his uniform.

Her golden eyes rested on his muscular chest where the scars from two years ago crisscrossed his body. "You wear your scars well, Shadowpad. They are a testament to your ability to survive. I wonder what kind of assassin you would have made had you been born here with us."

Nick stood up as he began to button up his shirt. "I would probably be just like any of you. I'm what my experiences have made me. If I had been born here, I would lose all of the lessons, experiences, and heartache that helped me become who I am now."

As if she suddenly realized a great flaw in the Cult, Silentfall lowered her eyes. "I suppose that's true. I never thought about it like that before."

Nick shrugged as he pulled his tie around his neck loosely, taking care around his stitches. "Don't worry too much about it, Silentfall. Anyway, I appreciate the meal and warm reception."

She looked over at him. "How do you like your name?"

Nick looked over his shoulder as he smirked. "Shadowpad...seems fitting."

The doors to the reception room opened, and there stood James with a smile on his face. "Good day, Shadowpad. Are you ready to depart?"

Nick turned to Silentfall with a smile. "Thanks again for your hospitality. See you in a week." He turned to the panther. "I'm ready to go home, James."

Nick stepped out into the reception room where James held the black bag in his paws. "Sorry, Shadowpad. It's a must."

Nick nodded, and once again, he was hooded. He was led back to the elevator, except this time, it was just James who escorted him.

While sitting in the elevator, Nick shifted slightly. "Can you drop me off near Zootopia General Hospital? I need to go see someone."

He heard the panther shift towards him as the elevator chimed at their floor.

"Of course, Shadowpad, it's the least we can do for one with a name."

 **AN: Relax everyone! Yeah Nick is doing some shady stuff here! Is he actually going to let the Shadow Cult take him out? Or is the another one of Nick's elaborate plans? Guess we'll have to wait and see. But how creepy is Anubis? Am I right?**

 **Travel Well  
** **-Keft**


	12. House call

**AN: I am so sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Life seems to get in the way often as it obviously comes first. Rest assured that this story has NOT been abandoned. I am still writing it, working on it, and will continue to update it into the future. I will get the next chapter out as soon as it's available for posting. To my loyal fans, I give you my deepest apologies. Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 12**

House Call

The hood was finally removed, and Nick found himself standing in an alley near the hospital. James smiled warmly at him and stretched out his paw.

"If you should ever need us for any reason, hit this button. It's a homing device that alerts us to any problems you might have. It's been an honor, Shadowpad."

The door to the van slid closed, and the van itself pulled away into the busy morning streets. Just another vehicle in the crowd. Nick took a moment to enjoy the morning air as he wandered around to the front of the hospital and slipped the small round button into his pocket. He stepped through the doors and started heading towards the room Officer Tommy Reynarks was in. Nick remembered quite well what room he had been put in, but he hadn't seen the fox in four days. He really hoped he had regained more of his memories.

His thoughts drifted back to what Anubis had said. Flowers had been sent here to the wounded officer. Who had delivered them? It bothered Nick to think that an assassin was in the same room, even taking into account their guiding edicts.

As he mulled this over, Nick reached the door to Tommy's room and quietly stepped inside. He found the young fox, still bandaged, asleep soundly. No heart monitors, and only a single IV line in his arm. On the table near the window, there were a few vases full of flowers. One set of roses caught his eye. Nick stepped quietly over and examined them. They were unique, with red rims around the petals, but their centers were black as night. They were very odd indeed, and Nick also noticed a card was attached. He opened the card and read it to himself.

 _Officer Tommy Reynarks,_

 _We send well wishes for a speedy recovery and return to duty. You have our deepest sympathies for your injuries._

 _Moonlight guide you to health._

 _G.M.A._

While any other animal reading the card would surely assume that GMA was some sort of corporation or mega company, Nick knew who it truly was. He didn't quite know how to feel about this.

"Wilde. It's good to see you."

Nick looked to the corner of the room to find Wolford rubbing his eyes as he slowly woke up. Nick smiled at his sergeant warmly. "Good to see you too. How is he?"

Wolford sat up fully and shook his head. "More and more memories are coming back. I can't explain it, but you foxes sure do seem to be anything less than frail. He's a tough kid. Still doesn't remember how it all happened, but he remembers most of the last two years. So once he is completely healed from his latest surgery, he'll be free to leave."

Wolford sighed as he stood up and put his paw on Nick's shoulder. "How are you though? I can't imagine you have slept much. So if I guess right, you are going on over 30 hours without sleep. Then there is the stress of all that has transpired."

Nick suddenly felt all the weight of what had happened over the last 24 hours fall upon him once again. The pain, the misery, the guilt, and most recently, the stress of being among the assassins that had been hunting him over the past week. He felt his posture go lax and ears droop as it all caught up to him in a rush.

He sighed heavily. "I think I'll need to sleep for a week after the past two days...I'm just worried about closing my eyes to have everything haunt my dreams. How...how's Judy?"

Wolford shook his head. "Well, she carries enough stress for all of us, and she's keeping the janitors of the ZPD busy with all the fur she has been shedding...and pulling out. First chance you get, call Lieutenant Fangmeyer and report in. She has Judy helping her with assignments since she's not really in a good state of mind right now. Kerava has been trying to help the poor bunny through all of this as well. That panther has a good heart, despite the deadly paws."

"Officer Wilde?"

Both Nick and Wolford looked to find Tommy awake, his blue eyes locked on them. They went to his bedside.

"Yeah, I'm here bud, how are you feeling?"

Tommy smiled and blinked slowly. "It's not your fault...I remember it now...I remember why I was there and remember helping you off the floor. I was there because I needed to be, you needed me. I wasn't going to let her kill you even if it meant losing my life. It wasn't your fault."

Nick choked up for a moment but swallowed it down as he spoke, "Thanks Tommy. Glad you are getting along alright." He paused for a moment. "Hey, I have a personal question for you."

Tommy nodded. "Shoot."

"Have you heard from your mother lately?"

Tommy's face fell slightly. "No...I haven't seen her since I ended up in the hospital. I think it's strange that she hasn't contacted me or shown up. I'm beginning to worry."

Nick gathered a pen and paper and held it out to the young fox, who had been adjusting his bed so he could sit upright. Nick cleared his throat, "If you write down her address here, I can go check up on her if you like."

Tommy started writing, scrunching his brow while doing so. "Do you think something has happened to her?"

Nick sighed deeply. "I don't think so, no. However, the Shadow Cult has paid you a visit and left you flowers, and the Grand Master mentioned leaving your mother some too. If that is all the news she has gotten about you, I worry for her."

He handed the pad back to Nick with a serious look on his face. "Please, Wilde, check on her for me. Send her here if you can...I miss her greatly."

Nick nodded and started to leave the room, but as he reached the door, Wolford spoke up, making him stop for a moment.

"Wilde, don't forget to call the lieutenant. They need to hear your voice."

Nick nodded again and left the room. He checked his phone and found he still had enough battery life to make the call...plenty in fact. The Shadow Cult must have charged it for him while he was there...how considerate. He flagged down a cab and read the address to the deer behind the wheel. He nodded, then waited until Nick was buckled in before driving.

The Nocturnal District was a bit of a drive, so Nick had some time to make the call. He found his lieutenant's number, checked the time, sighed deeply and hit 'call'.

* * *

Lieutenant Fangmeyer had enjoyed being a lieutenant of the ZPD for the past year. It was a tough job, but for different reasons, and there was always something serious going on. One thing she enjoyed about it was keeping up with everyone on the police force. She was able to keep up on their well-being, speak frankly with them and let them know how they were appreciated for their hard work. She didn't care for the higher rank so much as the personal responsibility of all the other officers in the precinct.

The last two days, however, had been less than stellar. She had been trying to find things for her friend Judy to do; something, anything to keep her troubled mind occupied, but to no avail. She would work on filing papers before staring distantly out at nothing, lost in her own thoughts. When Fangmeyer gave the bunny a break of over an hour to get a nap in, she didn't sleep long, coming back after a half-hour to sit by the phone. The lieutenant had tried to share some of her sketches to cheer her up, and for a time it worked, but her mind always kept drifting off. Now they simply sat in silence.

They were beginning to lose hope. Nick had been gone since midnight. Almost 8 hours had passed since then, and when dealing with assassins, every minute counted. Fangmeyer looked up at the clock. 8am sharp.

She sighed, and then her phone rang, nearly making her jump out of her fur. She only let it ring once before picking up the phone. "This is Lieutenant Fangmeyer of the ZPD, how can I help you?"

Her eyes grew wide and a smile made it across her face as she winked at Judy. "Wait one minute, Officer."

She hit the speaker button on her phone and set the receiver back in its cradle. "Okay, go ahead."

Judy's ears shot up and tears silently fell as she heard his voice, "Right, just calling to check in, LT. It was a long... _interesting_ night."

Fangmeyer nodded. "Yeah I bet. Did they hurt you, or threaten you in any way?"

Nick was silent for a moment. "No, actually quite the opposite. They gave me a new name and sealed our contract. Both myself and Judy are safe forever. They let me seal Kerava's contract too...I still don't want to talk about that right now."

Nick's tone made Judy look Fangmeyer in the eye and shake her head. She whispered to the tigress, "It's because our phones might be tapped. Don't mention anything that might suggest she is alive!"

Fangmeyer nodded and spoke towards the phone again, "I understand, Wilde...Are you coming back to the precinct right now?"

"No, not yet, I have a stop to make first...I'd like to request today off. I'm beat, need to sleep and think a few things through."

The tigress didn't hesitate for a moment, "Granted, get some rest, Wilde. Gather your thoughts and give us your report tomorrow..." She looked over at Judy, who had tears in her eyes, "Wilde, there is someone here who would like to speak to you."

Nick sighed on the other end of the line, and a few moments passed before he spoke, but when he did, he sounded tired, beat, and extremely depressed. "I...I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. I just...I feel I don't deserve to speak with her. That I don't deserve her...not after the things I've done and put her though...Please understand."

Judy stood up on the chair and put her paws on the table, leaning in over the phone as tears streamed down her face. "Nick, please! I need to talk with you! I need you here! To know that you're safe! I understand why you did what you did, NICK PLEASE!"

Silence was the first response she got. After a few moments, Nick spoke, low and sounding beaten, "Go home after work. After your shift, no earlier...I'll be waiting."

The line went dead, leaving Judy soaking the tigress's desk with her tears. Fangmeyer simply scooped up her friend and squeezed her tight as she sobbed. Lieutenant Fangmeyer couldn't control her own tears as she wept for her friends.

* * *

Nick stared at his phone as the screen blinked 'call ended'. When the screen went black, he saw his somber reflection in it. The cuts, bruises and pain of the night prior. Tears dampened his fur as well. He put his phone away in his breast pocket and pulled Judy's wedding ring out. He sat there inspecting it in his paws, blood had stained it in places from where the single-set stone had cut into his face. His face throbbed from remembering each time she hit him. Fourteen times...she hit him fourteen times. The anguish she must have felt. Nick felt sick to his stomach and almost heaved. The driver looked in his rearview mirror at him.

"Officer Wilde, are you alright?"

He breathed deeply before looking into the mirror, meeting the deer's eyes. "Well, I've been better."

The deer nodded. "Well, keep your chin up, fox. So far there has been nothing you can't beat. We all believe in you and Judy Hopps."

Nick smiled at the driver. "Thanks bud...it means a lot to me...so much has changed in these past years."

The deer slowed the cab and came to a stop. "Here we are, Nocturnal District at 4570 West Nightingale Way. Your total comes to fifty even."

Nick pulled a fifty dollar bill out and handed it over to the driver before stepping out into the pleasant morning air. The streets were busy with animals heading home after a long night's work. Nick hoped that Chloie Redmane would still be awake at this hour. He walked up the well-tended path to the door of the home of Tommy's mother. He stood at the door, paw in the air for a moment before readying himself and knocking three times on the door. A few moments passed before the door opened, revealing a vixen wearing a blue sweater, green pants, and a cooking apron. Her fur was slightly dull, and her face was wet with tears. She must have been crying recently.

Seeing Nick standing in front of her wearing his cleaned and pressed uniform caused her to start weeping heavily and sink to the floor. Nick's face fell and his ears drooped back. He didn't waste a moment as he knelt down and put his paws on her shoulders. "Ma'am, please calm down and tell me what's wrong!"

She gulped air as she stammered out her reply. "He's gone isn't he? My son is gone! Why else would an officer show up?"

He couldn't understand why she would think these things, but maybe it had something to do with the flowers she had received and the note with them. He put his paw under her chin and brought her blue eyes to his, putting on his best smirk. "Miss, I assure you, he is quite well and recovering quickly. He sent me to check on you since he figured you'd have come down to see him by now. It's him who is worried about you."

She slowed her sobbing enough to be easier to understand. "All I got was a vase of roses and a note telling me he was seriously injured. I was afraid to leave the house and miss the officers that would bring me any news. So, he's doing okay?"

Nick started to help her off the floor. "Yeah, he is doing much better. I can give you details of what he went through if you wish, but I'm sure inside would be a better place for it."

Chloie nodded and sniffled a bit, but put on a brave smirk. "Yes of course, please come in...do you want anything to drink?"

Nick followed her into the living area as he replied, "No I'm fine, thank you."

He sat across from her on the couch, a small table separating them as she took up the large cushioned chair. On the arm was some knitting she must have been working on.

Nick leaned forward with his paws folded and elbows on his knees. "How much do you want me to tell you? Some of it may be hard to hear."

She picked up her knitting project and placed it in her lap. "Please, tell me everything."

Nick nodded and sat back against the couch. "Well first, Officer Reynarks came to my rescue. I was interrogating a suspect and she broke free and attacked me. His partner distracted the suspect while he came to check on my well-being and help me off the floor. Seeing his partner in danger, Tommy went to his aid." Nick sighed deeply before continuing.

"Unfortunately, he was struck hard in the head and went down. When he came to, he couldn't remember any of us. We got him to the hospital where they discovered the extent of his injuries. He had bleeding in his brain and a fractured skull. The doctor removed part of his skull and repaired the damage, and in a later surgery, it was replaced. He has been working hard to remember all he's lost, and it looks like he will be out of the hospital in a few days."

She took the news well, breathing deeply as Nick pressed on with one more question, "Would you like to go see him now? I'll pay for your trip if you wish."

Chloie smiled. "You must be Officer Wilde then? Tommy talks about you and his partner often. He always sounds happy on the phone when talking about all the officers and how they treat him. It makes my heart swell with pride, seeing him in his uniform and hearing about all the respect he has gained. I have you to thank as well. You painted us foxes in a new light for the city to see. Thank you, Officer Wilde...and yes, I think I would love to go to my son now."

The ride to the hospital was pleasant, and her fur had finally dried since she finally stopped crying. Chloie didn't say much along the way, but she constantly wore a faint smile and gazed out the window in deep thought. A few times Nick asked her if everything was alright, but she always answered the same way with, "Everything is perfect!"

The cab pulled up to the hospital and Nick paid as promised. He took her by the arm and walked her in. He could feel her fur heating up and could smell her stress.

When they got to the door, Nick turned to face her with a smirk, "Are you ready, Miss Redmane?"

She no longer wore the faint smile, but her nerves seemed to be getting to her. She breathed in deep, but then she heard the sounds of laughter coming from within the room. Instantly her smile returned and she pushed open the door, walking straight into the room. Nick followed with paws in his pockets.

Wolford and Reynarks were laughing hysterically at some joke they may have just missed and were still oblivious to the new animals in the room. Chloie simply kept walking and threw her arms around her son, who instantly stopped laughing as his face became one of shock. He inhaled her scent deeply.

"...Mom?!"

She started crying, her face buried in his shoulder. "I'm here! I..I'm sorry I didn't come sooner!"

He threw his arms around her and hugged tightly. "Oh mom, I'm so glad you're here! I was worried sick about you!"

She sat up with tears in her eyes. "Yeah, just like my son; lying in a hospital bed worried about other animals!"

Wolford started to get up. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit."

Tommy stopped him. "Wait! Mom, I want you to meet someone very special. This is Officer William Wolford, my partner. Turns out we have a shared past. It's quite the story!"

Chloie looked at the wolf, giving him a warm smile. "Oh I have been waiting years to meet you, but I feel like I already know all about you! Please share the story with me, and stay for a while. I know what you mean to my son, so please stay."

Wolford pulled up a soft chair for the mother of his partner to be comfortable in and sat upon the stool himself.

"Well then, let me tell you of how your son became my partner. Not all of it is happy, but I'm sure the ending will leave you smiling...it's left me smiling for the past two years."


	13. Dinner Plans

**AN: Due to life getting in the way of pretty much everyone, these will be posted without being fully edited by another. Please forgive me for letting this go for so long. I always wanted them to go one chapter a week, but that was somewhat unrealistic. I had declining health, job issues, and struggled with depression a bit, but I'm back and ready to get this done for you all! Soooo sorry! I love my stories and love my readers, so without further chit-chat, here is chapter 13!**

 **Chapter 13**

Dinner Plans

Nick got home and checked his watch. 10:15 am. Feeling the fatigue finally catching up to him after such an eventful night, he figured he would nap until 4pm. That would give him an hour before Judy got home for work to prepare dinner. He went to their bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Something poked him in his breast pocket. He rolled over and dug out Judy's wedding ring. At seeing it, his heart hurt, and his thoughts swam painfully as he remembered the events of the previous night. Tears filled his eyes as the vulpine placed it carefully on the night stand and set his alarm for 4pm. Once that was done, he lazily stripped off his uniform while still lying down and slunk under the covers to get a few hours of sleep he desperately needed. He knew that his dreams would be dreadful, haunting, and painful, but the need for sleep overpowered his caution as his eyelids slid closed.

* * *

Judy practically ran home, leaving Calvin behind to quickly get back to her husband. She jumped over obstacles, dodged animals, and continued to run as if her life depended on it.

Finally, she reached her front door, breathing heavily. She stood there hunched over, catching her breath for a few minutes. After regaining control of her breathing, she reached out for the door knob and stopped for a moment with it in her paw. Her emotions ran rampant. Her thoughts rested on the previous night, how she beat him, how she discarded her wedding ring and cursed him. She knew why he did it. He managed to do it; he saved three lives last night and she beat him over it. Sure, she didn't know it at the time, and maybe she harbored a little animosity for not being let in on the secret, but what she had done to him...the pain she had caused. Was it really forgivable?

She inhaled deeply and opened the door. Her senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of Nick's cooking. Spices, vegetables, wine, and pastries filled her nose with delight. It had been hours since she last ate, and despite her worries and fears of the coming conversations, the smells made her smile. She took a few timid steps inside and closed the door behind her. She locked it and started to slowly and quietly creep into her home. She peered around the corner into the kitchen, her heart fluttering at finding her fox. He was busy setting the table for dinner. Plates had been arranged, wine glasses too, and he had started to place the main course on the table. She noticed his face, and her heart stopped fluttering. He looked terrible: dark circles around his eyes, bruises and cuts lining his face and snout where she had struck him. He wore his night clothes, the silk green outfit she had bought him and the one he wore on their last day at the cabin last week. His fur didn't quite sit right and it looked a bit dull, likely from a combination of stress and worry.

She waited for a few moments, simply watching him as he slowly sat down at the table, rested his head on his paw and started staring distantly at the wall. His eyelids began to slide closed, but Judy lightly knocking on the wall brought him back to rapt attention. He quickly stood up, seeing her standing in the hallway to the dining room.

The look on his face was one of surprise as his ears lay back and eyes filled with worry. His voice strained, "Judy...I-I didn't think you would be home already...uh...I have dinner ready."

She wanted to smile, but her heart hurt too much, and she didn't know how to approach anything right now. So, she simply wrung her paws as she spoke quietly, "I...I ran home, Nick...didn't stop until I got here."

Nick went around the table and pulled out her chair for her, "Well...uh, dinner is ready, will...will you join me?" he motioned his paw to the now open seat as he spoke.

Judy nodded and sat down in the chair. He pushed her in, reached for the bottle of white wine and poured her a glass. She saw the bottle and knew it wasn't exactly cheap, but it would taste fantastic. He started to dish her up as he spoke.

"I made a vegetable cheese tortellini for the main course and prepared a carrot cake for desert. All made from scratch. The wine is a vineyard classic ice wine. I hope you enjoy."

She grabbed his arm as he was putting down the serving spoon and looked up at his face. He stared at the spoon, choosing not to make eye contact. His eyes drooped miserably. She felt tears welling up in her own.

"Nick...please look at me."

He sighed before looking into her violet eyes. She pushed down her emotions as much as she could in order to control her voice as much as possible. "I...I'm sorry, Nick...I hurt you...worse than I could ever have imagined...I said things...did things...I'm so sorry."

Nick knelt down next to her and held her paws in his, maintaining eye contact with her as he did so. He started speaking softly.

"Judy, there is nothing for me to forgive. That night, I made a promise to myself that I would not let anything you said or did color our relationship. I made the choice to keep you in the dark and knew that you wouldn't react well to it...it's not your actions that need forgiveness...it's mine."

Judy pulled him into a tight hug and gripped his head tightly to her chest as her tears flowed freely. "Oh, you dumb fox! The second Kerava told me about what was going on, my thoughts have been on you! She told me that you went to meet Anubis, and I thought you were never coming back! The last memories you would have of me as you died were of me striking you and throwing my wedding ring at you! I couldn't...I just...No, Nick...Please don't think of it! I forgive you! I understand why you needed to keep me out! Please!"

Nick cried against her chest and put his arms around her. "It's not just your forgiveness I need, Judy...I just don't know if I can forgive myself...I love you so much. I know the pain I caused you...No husband should ever do such a thing."

Judy pulled his head away from her chest and planted a long kiss on his lips. For a moment he was stiff, not really returning, but eventually his posture relaxed and he embraced it. When they broke away, she held his face in both paws, gently caressing the large cut under his right eye.

She looked deeply into his eyes, past the hurt, past the green and into his very soul.

"Nick, you have to forgive yourself, because despite what happened, I still can't imagine my life without you. What you did that night...it was a solution to an unwinnable situation. You managed to get everything we could have hoped for without taking a single life. I came to realize what kind of officer you were, what kind of animal you truly were. Sacrificing everything you held dear so that others may live the life they never had and to keep everyone safe. You inspire me, Nick...please...find it in your heart to forgive yourself, because like you, there is nothing for me to forgive either."

He finally gave her a weak smirk as he stood up and dished his own plate up before sitting down and waving his paw over the meal. "Please, dig in. I'm betting you're pretty hungry."

Judy smirked as she took up her fork. "Starving actually."

Her first bite melted in her mouth as she felt the stress fall away with the coaxing of the home cooking. He continually impressed her with his cooking. As she was halfway through her meal, she had to ask something/

"So how _did_ the meeting with Anubis go?"

He dabbed his napkin over his snout before responding, "Well, the assassins were all very polite, but Anubis...he was very impressive. Massive, too. Seriously, the dude is huge, I'm talking like monster status!"

Judy giggled as Nick continued, "First, they made me take off my uniform and wear the same set of robes they all wore, then we had a feast. I sat at a huge table for assassins with names and the Head Mistress of the Cult...oh, you would like her, she's a caracal! Anyway, it was there that they bestowed me with a name that they called me for the rest of the night. Then, I met Anubis. He spoke at great length about their edicts, how one goes about petitioning a contract, and then he sealed our contract in their vault. After that, he handed me Kerava's contract. It's called a Black Letter, and he let _me_ seal hers since I was the one who 'completed' that contract."

Judy cocked an eyebrow at him. "A new name? What do they call you?"

Nick sat back in his chair, his signature smirk returning. "Shadowpad."

She smiled, thinking on the name for a moment. "Yeah...that sounds about right. So what are the edicts?"

He took another bite before continuing, "Well, I don't remember them exactly, but a few were along the lines of don't harm those who are not targets, don't make your own contracts, don't be bought out, and so on..." Nick trailed off for a moment, and his stare became distant before he continued, "Judy, I'm torn right now."

Her ears fell back as she noticed his discomfort. "Torn? How so?"

He sighed and looked at her, "On one paw, they're assassins and we have to stop them. Simple as that. But on the other paw, they are some of the kindest and most polite animals I have ever met, and they never once treated me badly...I also believe they are being led astray by Anubis."

Judy looked confused, so he continued, "It is in their edicts that one may not make their own contracts. It is one of their guiding principles, but while I was with Anubis, I saw a contract on his end table. Those are normally sent out to the client to be filled there, but this one was as of yet unfinished and in _his_ writing."

Judy looked concerned at this point. "Who was the contract for?"

Nick looked into her eyes, worry playing across his face. "Tim Growlburn. We need to call Bogo and get surveillance on the mayor. I didn't even think about that until just now."

Judy already had her phone out calling the chief. As she was on the phone, Nick cleaned up the table and started putting leftovers away. He had started washing the dishes by the time she returned to the kitchen.

"Alright, Chief Bogo has officers on their way to the mayor's house now. He also wanted me to tell you that you have done an outstanding job, and that you may pick up your rifle whenever you want. He's finished with it."

Nick nodded as he shut off the water and dried his paws, "Great, tomorrow we will go straight to his office and explain this all to him. He needs to know. Oh, and pick up my rifle, too...I actually really like that thing."

Judy giggled. "I enjoy our time shooting when we are at the cabin. That rifle is really easy to handle...hey, why did Bogo have it?"

Nick came around the counter and started on his way to their living room to relax a bit. "Well, with all the new officers coming into the force that are around our size, the ZPD needed new weapons for TUSK and for training. So, they used my rifle as a pattern to make a standard issue for small animals."

Nick dropped onto the couch and sighed deeply as Judy sat down next to him. She looked him over carefully as his eyes wandered to the ceiling. He looked terribly exhausted, but not just from lack of sleep. It was emotional stress and heartache that colored his fur dull. The conversation they had before dinner hopefully helped with some of that, but she knew it would trouble him for a while. She reached up with her paw and carefully stroked the large cut under his eye.

"Nick, why didn't you get this stitched?"

He looked down into her eyes, a hint of sadness in his own. "Because I deserved it."

She shook her head. "Dumb fox."

He winked at her. "Hard-hitting bunny."

She smiled weakly. "I really did hit you hard..."

She rested her head against his arm and rested her paw on his chest. Something caught her attention under his shirt. It was round and attached to a fine chain around his neck. He noticed her paw resting on it. He reached up, unhooked the chain and pulled out what was on the end. He kept it clasped in his paw as he spoke.

"It was always yours...do you...do you want it back?"

Judy's eyes widened as his paw opened, revealing her wedding ring, "Yes, Nick! I really want it back!"

He took her paw in his and smiled as he slipped the ring back onto her middle pad. Her heart fluttered all over again as she buried her face in his chest. He simply put his arms around her and brought her closer. There they stayed on the couch and slowly began to drift to sleep. Judy fell in and out as she kept waking to make sure he was still there in her arms. The sounds of his breathing, the rhythmic beating of his heart, the pleasant mood lulling her back to sleep.

"Carrots?"

She woke up, but kept her eyes closed. "Hm?"

"It's late...perhaps bed would be a better place?"

She snuggled closer. "Uh-huh."

She heard him chuckle lightly as he carefully maneuvered his arms around her and stood up, Judy still snuggled tightly against his chest. The gentle sway almost put her right back to sleep, and it ended all too soon as she was set down upon their bed. Nick helped her out of her uniform and covered her up beneath the spreads.

Nick stood staring at the bunny as she settled deeply in the sheets with a smirk on her face. He wasn't quite ready for bed just yet, as his mind still had him troubled. He stepped out into his living room and paced about deep in thought.

"Why would Anubis want the mayor dead? Does Tim know something about them that has Anubis worried?"

He stopped for a moment as his thoughts went deeper, "Do the assassins know what he's doing?"

Nick went to his small office to grab a sheet of paper and pen and began scribbling what he could remember from the edicts.

"Let's see...the first was spill not the blood of something something...don't kill someone who isn't a target. The second was...make not your own contract. Contract is your honor, do not interfere, and...ah, that's enough for now."

He looked through and knew Anubis was breaking the second edict. He wondered how the Cult would respond to this. Nick felt like he needed more information on this, and perhaps the mayor had something to say about it too. Nick sat back in his chair, feeling hopeless. He saw how the assassins revered Anubis. Given his age, it was likely that none of them had ever known another Grand Master. He even referred to them as his children.

Nick groaned to himself, frustrated...he needed to tell them something. He sat there, alone in his chair, for what must have been an hour, staring at the wall, wishing that something would come to his mind, a solution to the problem, anything that would help ease his worries.

It did come, but not as he was expecting. A quiet voice brought his mind back from the depths, "Hey...what are you doing? Come to bed, ya dumb fox."

Nick looked at the clock on his desk. 12:34 am. Yeah, it was time for bed. He stood up, stretched out and walked over to Judy, who was standing in the doorway. "Alright, Carrots, you win."

Together, they both padded down the hall back to their bedroom. He helped Judy under the covers, then joined her on his side. He lay with his back to her, still thinking about everything that could go wrong. Those thoughts, however, couldn't survive over the feel of Judy's touch as she rolled over and cuddled up against his back, moaning softly in her half asleep state.

He smiled to himself, glad that she had forgiven him, but guilt still clung to his heart. Perhaps time would fully wash away the guilt. He knew how very close he had been to losing her for good. It had made him physically ill that night, and he never again wanted to experience that kind of misery. For now though, he contented himself with enjoying having Judy back at his side, and being held in her loving arms.

 **AN: Another chapter down and more to come soon...(TM) I want to continue this, I dont like keeping you waiting and will get things done now. It may be a few weeks before the next comes up though as I will be traveling for work, I will get back and**


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